Following the second educational programme aimed at sharing budgetary knowledge to young specialists, which lasted for about five months in the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” project, 20 young specialists conducted public awareness seminars, as a result of which around 300 citizens, students and schoolchildren got acquainted with the budgetary processes and the basics of participatory budgeting.

Young specialists who are studying at various higher education institutions and who had completed the advanced and practical skills development phase in the scope of the public awareness phase of the programme conducted the seminars. They applied the knowledge they had gained through conducting seminars at their universities, schools, workplaces, and communities.

Representatives of various community groups, including schoolchildren, youth, seniors, as well as representatives of different professions who were interested in budget processes, attended the awareness seminars.

During the budget training programme, young participants received comprehensive knowledge through online courses, expert master classes, visits to government agencies and meetings with their representatives.

Seminars were conducted in Yerevan as well as in the marzes of Armenia. They were aimed at raising public awareness on budgetary processes and thus contributing to the development of participatory budgeting in Armenia.

The seminars discussed issues of participatory budgeting and its legal basis, the essence of the state budget, as well as the budget for 2025, description of the state budget, the process of drawing up state budgets, the role of taxes in the formation of the state budget and their significance, the structure and classification of the state budget, the budget system, budget programmes, community budget and other important issues.

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).