Monday, 15 December 2014
Final Presentation Held for EU-supported e-Armenia Project
The “Systemic Development of e-Governance in Armenia” conference kicked off in Yerevan, which marked the end of the e-Armenia project as organized by the Government of Armenia and the European Union Delegation.
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan addressed the forum with a greeting message, which was read out by Minister-Chief of Government Staff David Haroutunyan.
“Dear Colleagues,
Dear Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia I warmly welcome the conference, which ushers in the end of the “Systemic Development of e-Governance in Armenia” program.
We see this conference as an opportunity to raise public awareness of the improvements made in this area and outline those problems emerged throughout the development of electronic society in Armenia.
Supported by the EU over the last two years, this project was an integral part of the process of development of e-governance, thanks to which the system of e-government in Armenia has entered a qualitatively new stage of development.
As early as in 2010, Armenia’s government launched an e-government project in accordance with best international standards. The project’s goal was to create an environment where citizens might benefit from a facility of minimized contact with public officials resulting in reduced corruption risks, accessibility and high quality of services.
Today we can state that 67 percent of Armenia’s population uses the Internet. The level of household access to the Internet is even higher - 82 percent. This figure is comparable to the European Union countries and is one of the highest in the region. I am pleased to note that Internet access is almost the same throughout Armenia.
In 2014, Armenia ranked 61st according to the UN e-Government Readiness Index, which is a significant improvement over the previous achievements - 94th in 2012.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Another significant reform is the introduction of a civil status registration email system. It is also an important step on the way to improved electronic identification system. In parallel to the introduction of an integrated electronic identification system, we must provide for the protection of personal data and security. In this respect, we appreciate the role of those experts involved in the development of appropriate legislative changes.
Along with the ongoing fundamental reforms, the Electronic Armenia program has expanded the public service sector. Of special importance is the introduction of an electronic system for police services. Owing to recently developed web solutions, citizens can now learn about the drivers’ penalties resulting from motoring offences and make payments via the Internet.
Along with these positive trends, it should be noted that the considerable potential of information technology and e-governance is not yet fully realized, as the number of users is still small. In this regard, we still have a lot of work to do.
Dear Participants,
The “Systemic Development of e-Governance in Armenia” program is a success story of Armenia’s cooperation with the European Union. Armenia’s government is taking concrete steps towards the development of electronic society, and in this respect we do appreciate the support of the European Union and other donors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those organizations, companies and professionals having contributed to this program.”
Then the Minister-Chief of Government Staff delivered the “Electronic Training 2014” report, which specifies the current status of information society in Armenia, the ongoing developments in modern electronic services in our country, as well as the future steps.
The European experts participating in the forum referred to e-government and e-democracy developments in Europe. The e-citizen.am web portal was presented during the forum.
Note that the Systemic Development of e-Governance in Armenia program was launched in 2012 (duration 24 months). It is funded by the European Union to a total cost of 1.4 million euros.
