Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Dr. Harutyun Aleksanyan
Irex contemporary issues visiting fellow
It is crucial that for building and strengthening civil society in Armenia it is increasingly important to develop the non-governmental organization (NGO) sector. This truth is becoming more evident for communities and societies living in a post-crisis and transitional period.
In former Soviet times (Armenia was one of the fifteen Soviet Republics) there were very few non-profit organizations in Armenia.
These organizations were created for uniting people with similar professional interests (such as the Unions of Painters, Artists, Writers, Composers, Architects, etc). Organizations such as the Committee for Cultural Relations with Armenian Abroad or Committee for the Cultural Relations with the Outside World, were created to regulate relations with the Armenian Diaspora or with other governmental or non-profit structure’s of foreign countries. All of these public organizations were funded mostly from the state budget and depended on the government and Communist Party for everything.
The situation radically changed in 1991 after Armenia’s independence. The non–profit sector in Armenia started to develop. At first environmental non-governmental organizations were established and then came others for “humanitarian aid,” “human rights,” “women’s rights,” “refugee’s rights,” etc. Year after year the Armenian NGO sector has expanded with hundreds and hundreds of non-profit organizations. The “Golden Era” for Armenian NGOs started in 1994, when several international organizations opened their branch offices in Armenia and the NGO Training and Resource Center of the Armenian Assembly of America began to operate in Yerevan. The foreign assistance to Armenia through non-profit organizations increased. This stimulated the new wave of growth of non-governmental organizations. A large number of Armenian NGOs were founded to serve as a response to society’s needs (assistance of socially vulnerable groups of population; refugees, disabled people, those who were suffering from the earthquake and poverty, etc).
According to the data provided by State Register of Armenia, in August 2001 2,585 NGO officially active in the following fields: 605 charitable, 295 regional, 175 youth, 120 medical, 88 community based, 86 human rights, 74 international, 72 women’s rights, 40 patriotic, 34 educational, 33 national minorities, 15 juridical, etc. At present there is an evident trend towards the growth of the number of NGOs in Armenia. This is very positive tendency for building civil society in Armenia because the NGO sector can take a huge portion of challenges existing in the fields of economy, education, and social and legal priorities. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the above-mentioned NGOs, according to foreign experts, do not have a lot of experience in their field and are in the developing stage of their activities. This is the result of low involvement of the population in non-profit activities.
At present, according to the data of the Research Center Zarkerak (Pulse in Armenian), the involvement rate of population of Armenia in NGOs constitutes 3%. Given that the average membership of each NGO is 10 persons and that in Armenia there are approximately 2,700 NGOs, the overall number of the members involved in the NGO activities might amount to 50,000-60,000.
“Mission of Armenia,” an NGO with a staff of 250, and whose goal is to assist elderly people, and the “Armenian Association of University Women,” which defends women’s rights, are among the largest NGOs in Armenia.
Another weak point in the functioning of Armenian non-profit organizations is development of their organizational capacities. Most NGOs do not have paid staff and there is lack of fundraising strategies. Furthermore, these organizations are not audited. The impact assessment mechanisms are not developed; there is a lack of strategy of resource mobilization. Another weak point on NGO development is that the “Effective law on NGOs,” adopted by the Parliament of Armenia in December 2001 still does not ensure tax regulations and does not improve self-governance of NGOs.
My study of Armenian NGOs showed that many challenges typical to Armenian NGOs are common for non-profit organizations in Eastern Europe, which are arising from difficulties of the transition period.
I see the potential development of the Armenian non-profit sector in the following areas:
1) Encouraging the development of sustainable local fundraising resources;
2) Educating NGO staff and volunteers to improve their organizational skills;
3) Increasing and expanding the use of information technologies by the non-profit sector;
4) Facilitating the participation of Armenian NGOs in international and regional networks;
5) Advocating amendments in the effective law on NGOs in order to encourage taxpayers to support non-profit organizations.
The Armenian non-profit organizations are representing the unique history, culture, traditions, and politics of Armenia and I believe that in a few years, Armenia will have a strong, sustainable non-profit sector which could assist the state to solve problems and challenges existing in the fields of education, health, social and legal priorities and the economy.
Research for this article was supported in part by a grant from the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) with funds provided by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA), US Department of State. None of these organizations are responsible for the views expressed herein.