An online discussion with the participants of the second stream of the training program aimed at developing the budgetary capacities of CSO/Media representatives related to the topics of budget module of the online training phase was held on 11 February in the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” Project. The component included comprehensive training on the topics related to the structure and processes of public budget, methods of budget analysis, budget monitoring tools, program budgeting fundamentals, as well as budget transparency and accountability.

Representatives of about 20 CSOs and Media organizations attended the meeting, conducted by Ms Karine Harutyunyan Executive Director of EDRC and Ms Lilit Hakobyan representative of the same structure. The experts paid special attention to the importance of the practical applicability of the training program, which the participants will meet during the face-to-face training phase, and discussed current challenges in this area as well.

The participants had the opportunity to discuss the key topics of the “budget knowledge” section, the issues that arose as a result of the topics, and expressed their observations.

At the end of the meeting, the participants highly appreciated the initiative, and expressed their willingness for lasting cooperation.

It should be noted that this is the start of a series of training courses that will continue in the coming months.

The “Budgets 4 Citizens” (B4C) action (8 December, 2022 – 7 December, 2026) is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, in cooperation with partners “Economic Development and Research Center” (EDRC) NGO and “Agora Central Europe” NGO (Czech Republic).