OSCE/ODIHR workshop in Armenia stresses the need to conduct proper impact assessment in policy and law making processes

Impact assessment as an effective tool in producing better legislation was the focus of a workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the OSCE Office in Yerevan. It was held in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, on 12 and 13 May 2015.

The workshop gathered some 35 representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Finance and Economics, as well as from the National Assembly and civil society. Workshop participants discussed ways to ensure the proper conduct of impact assessment for drafting policy decisions and legislation. It also focused on ways to involve key stakeholders in impact assessments.

“It is only through proper assessment of the potential impact of a law at an early stage that lawmakers can ensure that what looks good on paper will also work well in practice,” said Alice Thomas, Chief of the ODIHR Legislative Support Unit. “This is one of the key elements of good, effective lawmaking.”

Arsen Mkrtchyan, First Deputy Minister of Justice, said: “Impact assessment is an important tool to obtain high quality legislation throughout the entire cycle of policy-making, beginning from the problem analysis stage, when different solutions are assessed, to the adoption of a legal act, and the ensuing monitoring and evaluation of its implementation.”

This was the second of four thematic workshops on different aspects of the lawmaking process in Armenia to be conducted throughout 2015, as envisaged by an agreement signed between ODIHR and the Ministry of Justice in 2014. The recommendations made in each workshop will later form part of a regulatory-reform roadmap for Armenia, offering concrete and specific action points.