On 28 November, the RSC provided a special training on analysis and “critical thinking” for 25 staff members from several committees of the Armenian parliament. As a component of the RSC Parliamentary Support project, this staff training was the latest of our activities designed to enhance the institutional capacity of the Armenian National Assembly through analytical support and technical expertise in the areas of parliamentary oversight, committee hearings, legislative review and the public policy process.
.RSC Director Richard Giragosian opened the training with an introductory focus on three central issues: (1) the essential role of parliament in providing institutional oversight and acting as a core component of the system of “check and balances,” as a primary actor in the legislative process and the formulation of public policy, and as a central pillar of the democratic process; (2) the importance of parliamentary staff, which he noted was “far too often under-paid and under-valued,” in bolstering the institutional capacity of the parliament; and (3) the necessity of analysis and “critical thinking” in terms of staff support for parliamentarians and ensuring “informed consent” among committee members.
Giragosian then provided a specific presentation on “Regional and International Conflicts: Implications for Armenian Foreign Policy,” at the request of the staff and that offered three case studies: the implications from developments in Syria, Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine, and the emergence of the threat from “Islamic State” or ISIS. Several RSC staff members, including RSC Analysts Satenik Baghdasaryan and Anush Ghazaryan, as well as RSC Research Intern Nvard Minasyan, also assisted with the staff training.
The parliamentary staff training was part of the USAID-funded Support to the Armenian National Assembly Program (SANAP) in Armenia, which aims to strengthen democratic governance by expanding the representational, oversight and analytical capacity of the National Assembly. In cooperation with the National Assembly, SANAP has launched the Armenian Parliamentary Training Resource Center to provide training and awareness raising of NA staff and MPs on parliamentary functions and mechanisms of their effective implementation (Budgetary Oversight, Constituency Work etc.), institutional support (Human Resource Management, Policies and Procedures etc.), staff operations (improvement of analytical and research capacity, communications), subject matter (e.g. Community Consolidation reform, Constitutional reform). The training center fosters discussions on current issues and opportunities that can drive strategic institutional development as well as increase the role of the National Assembly in the political system.
