Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Cabinet Discusses 2014 Public Agency Performance Reports
Chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, the Armenian government started discussing public agency performance reports for the year 2014, including their compliance with the government’s action plan for 2014, priorities and assessed performance.
Reports were delivered by Economy Minister Karen Chshmarityan and Head of General Department for Civil Aviation by the Government (GDCA) Artem Movsesyan.
Before proceeding to the discussion, the Premier noted that the performance assessment methodology needs revising and asked the Minister-Chief of Government Staff to take up the matter with the organizational divisions and standalone units of all of public agencies, as well as with the World Bank experts.
While producing a per-sector report of the activities carried out by the Ministry in 2014, the Minister of Economy dwelt on the work done under the Cabinet-approved 8 line strategies for the government’s export-oriented industrial policy.
The report states a 2.7% growth in industry, 25.2% - in information technologies, 11.3% -in tourism. The meeting decided to hold the 2019 World IT Conference in Armenia. An international tourist guide training center has been opened in Yerevan, which is one of the three such centers operational worldwide and the only one in the region.
Armenia was said to have improved its doing business index by 4 points under the World Bank’s Doing Business 2015 report.
After Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union, the Ministry has taken steps to preserve the applicable foreign trade regimes and comply with the Prime Minister’s assignment to minimize the administrative barriers faced by Armenian businessmen.
Referring to the priorities set for the year 2015, Hovik Abrahamyan told the Minister of Economy to step up the efforts aimed at promoting exports, developing the IT sector, attracting investment, improving the business environment, expanding international economic cooperation.
The head of the General Department for Civil Aviation reported that the GDCA had taken specific measures to enhance flight and aviation security, push ahead with the certification of airports and air traffic management, as well as to streamline the air traffic-related arrangements.
The speakers reported back the reasons behind the recorded shortfalls, as well as the internal audit departments’ findings.
Summing up the discussion, the Prime Minister pointed out that any public agency unit should strive to ensure tangible results, visible to the public-at-large, and this very principle should be at the heart of their activities.
