Armenia
This book presents the outcomes of a review of legal and institutional frameworks for fighting corruption in Armenia, which was carried out in the framework of the Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies based at the OECD. The review examined national anti-corruption policy and institutions currently in place in Armenia, national anti-corruption legislation, and preventive measures to ensure the integrity of civil service and effective financial control. This publication contains the recommendations as well as the full text of the self-assessment report provided by the government of Armenia.
This article describes Algeria's Decree on Protection Against Ionising Radiation (2005), its Decree on Radioactive Waste Management (2005), and its Decree on Food Irradiation (2005). It also describes Armenia's Decree on Food Irradiation (2005), Belgium's Act Amending the 1994 Act on Protection of the Public and the Environment Against Radiation and Relating to the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (2005), Brazil's Decree on the National Defence Policy Including the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (2005), Finland's Nuclear Liability Bill (2005), France's Order on Professional Activities Using Raw Materials Containing Natural Radionuclides not Used for Their Radioactive Properties (2005) and its Order on the Organisation of a National Network to Measure radioactivity in the Environment and on Criteria for the Certification of Laboratories (2005), Germany's Act on the Control of High-activity Sources (2005), its Ordinance on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (2005), and its Ordinance on Establishing a Prohibition to Alter the Conditions of the Subsoil Within the Gorleben Salt Formation (2005), Hungary's Decree on the Procedures of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority in Nuclear Safety Regulatory Matters (2005), Israel's Amendment to the Pharmacists’ Regulations (Radioactive Elements and Their Products) (2005) and its Import and Export Order (Control of Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Exports) (2004), the Republic of Korea's Act on Physical Protection and Radiological Emergency (2004), Poland's Regulation on Ionising Radiation Dose Limits (2005) and its Regulation on Positions for Ensuring Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection and on Radiological Protection Inspectors (2005), Portugal's Decree-Law Setting up the Independent Commission for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (2005) and its Decree-Law Establishing the Environmental Monitoring System of Radioactivity (2005), Romania's Order on Methodological Norms Regarding Planning, Organisation and Intervention in the Event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (2005) and its Order Approving Generic Procedures for Data Collection, Validation and Response During a Radiological Emergency (2005) as well as its Order on the Norms Regarding the Release of Radioactive Effluents into the Environment (2005), Slovenia's Regulation on Requirements for Workers in Nuclear Installations and Radiation Facilities (2005) and its Regulations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, Nuclear Installations and Radiation Facilities (2005), South Africa's recent regulatory developments in the nuclear field, Sweden's SKI Regulations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Facilities (2005) and Guidance for Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste (2005), Switzerland's Draft Act on Nuclear Third Party Liability (2005), Ukraine's Regime of nuclear installations, and the United States' Energy Policy Act (2005) and its Amendments to the Price-Anderson Act (2005) on nuclear third party liability.
This report draws on three detailed case studies from Armenia, the Russian Federation and Turkey and on the experience of OECD countries to provide guidance on how transfers from central budgets to local authorities could be designed to finance environmental infrastructures in transition economies. The report also investigates mechanisms for transferring financial resources for water services from higher to lower levels of government.
According to the law on Administrative-Territorial Division of the Republic of Armenia (AR), Armenia is divided into ten marzes (regions) and the capital city of Yerevan, which has the status of a marz. Each marz is subdivided into rural and urban communities (930 in total), and Yerevan is subdivided into 12 district communities. The marzes vary widely in terms of size and population. Yerevan is the smallest by far in area, at about 230 sq km, but has the largest population, at over 1 million.
The Soviet period significantly influenced the position of women in Armenia. The regime gave women the right to inherit and own land, and promoted education as well as work outside the home. It made mutual consent a requirement for marriage and banned dowries. After Armenia gained independence, however, some traditional social institutions have experienced a resurgence, and in some areas, the position of women has been weakened.
On 23 April 2007, the Director General of the Russian Federation “Rosatom” State Corporation and the Minister of Ecology Protection of Armenia signed the Protocol on the realisation of uranium exploration work in Armenia.
The economic crisis, the second economic shock to hit the Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus region after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been a warning and a call to action. The region has many advantages and much potential, but some of this was squandered during the boom years of the 2000s. The studies contained in this volume demonstrate that the potential is still there and that the measures that need to be taken to realise that potential are feasible and affordable. Some of them can have an almost immediate effect, such as easing access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and opening up new markets for the region’s goods. Others are more medium-term, such as redeveloping product lines in the steel industry or in agriculture. Some of the most critical reforms, like raising the level of education and improving health care, will require political and economic investment over the long term.
None of the recommendations in this book are, however, beyond the bounds of possibility. Governments and the private sector have an interest in implementing reforms to diversify the economy and improve the distribution of revenues. Given the enormous potential of the Eastern European and South Caucasus countries, the region has every reason to be confident about its future.
The OECD is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Throughout its history, the OECD has assisted countries in reforming and improving their policies to promote economic growth and development. It has fostered more open societies and the rule of law and has helped build the institutions necessary for the good functioning of market-based economies. This experience has been particularly valuable to countries undergoing political and economic transitions.
Development in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus was prepared as a joint effort between the Development Centre’s Black Sea and Central Asia Initiative and the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme (DAF/PSD), supported by regional correspondents located in each of the countries.
Armenia recorded an average economic growth of 13% in 2002-07. In 2008, gross domestic product (GDP) had doubled to USD 10.3 billion compared to its level in 2002 in real terms. Investments in the construction sector, powered by migrant worker remittances and to a lesser extent by foreign direct investment (FDI), provided the basis for economic growth.
Development in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus provides detailed country reviews of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. It explores current economic performance and the challenges of economic development and competitiveness.