The Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression (CPFE) has been conducting another round of monitoring of the official websites of the RA state bodies to assess their level of information transparency since May 2014. Such studies have been conducted since 2010. Since 2013, the monitoring has been carried out with an improved EXMO computerized information system, developed by the Institute of Development of Freedom of Information in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This methodology has been adapted by CPFE to be used in Armenia.

The existence (or lack) of information on the websites, its completeness, timeliness and accessibility (including from a technical point of view) were assessed.

The websites were monitored in accordance with 146 parameters, including 120 content-related and 26 technical. The collected data was then used in the specially developed formulas to calculate quantitative and qualitative information transparency coefficients, which in turn was used to compile rating tables.

The official websites of 44 state bodies were examined. They were divided into two groups, based on the compatibility of their results. The first group included 34 websites of the RA ministries and central government bodies. The second included the websites of the 10 marzes connected by the Territorial Administration System network (websites of marzpetarans). Separate information transparency ratings were compiled for the two groups.

According to the methodology, these results are preliminary. State officials, who are responsible for the official websites, will get an opportunity to study this assessment and work together with the CPFE experts to improve their websites. This cooperation phase will take place from August 1 to September 16, after which the final results will be made public.

Only 10 of the 34 ministries and state bodies improved their results compared with the last year. The level of information transparency of the other state bodies and ministries actually decreased. As for the marzpetarans’ websites, almost all the results have worsened. The only exception is the website of the Aragatsotn marz.

Even the websites with the highest rating are missing some important information (fully or in part), such as results of inspections at the relevant state body or by that body, annual budget expenditures in that particular body, and official speeches by deputy ministers or deputy heads of the relevant state bodies.

Other common shortcomings of the monitored official websites include full or partial lack of information about vacancies, competitions to fill those vacancies, competition results, procedures for appealing against these results, activities of the relevant state body to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful interests of physical persons and legal entities, state contracts signed with physical persons or legal entities, as well as information about auctions.

Often, there is little or no information on how to file court appeals against actions (or inaction) of the relevant state agency and its officials. There is also a shortage of texts of legal documents regulating the activities of the relevant body, as well as information on consultative and collegial bodies and their activities. This means that not all the state bodies in Armenia present full information to the public and make full use of opportunities provided by the modern technologies, including the Internet.

The tables below make it possible to compare the results of this year’s monitoring with the last year’s results.

Rating Table of Websites of the RA Ministries and Government Agencies

Note 1. The website of the National Security Service (http://www.sns.am) is not included in the table, because the Service is, essentially, a closed organization, and much of its information constitutes state secret. Therefore, the NSS website cannot be compared to the websites of other state bodies.

Rating Table of Websites of the RA Marzpetarans

According to the authors of the study, all the shortcomings identified during monitoring can be corrected easily, because these results are preliminary. This phase of monitoring will be followed by a period of consultation, when representatives of the various state agencies with work with the CPFE experts to improve their official websites. The final results will depend on the content-related and technical improvement of the websites.