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EITI Regional Roundtable and Workshop in Yerevan

30.04.26
EITI Regional Roundtable and Workshop in Yerevan

On April 28–29, 2026, Yerevan hosted the EITI regional roundtable and workshop, “Central Asian Leadership for Extractive Sector Accountability and Reforms,” bringing together representatives of EITI stakeholders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia, as well as representatives of the EITI International Secretariat.

The workshop was organized by the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) with financial support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as part of the Central Asia Regional Development Programme.

Armenia was selected by the organizers as the host country for the gathering, recognizing its leading role within the EITI community and the value of its experience for participating countries.

At the opening session of the workshop, Ara Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia and a member of the EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), welcomed the participants. He emphasized Armenia’s readiness to share its EITI experience with other countries and support their efforts to advance transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.

Over the course of the two-day event, participants discussed the new requirements of the 2023 EITI Standard, the effective functioning of multi-stakeholder groups, beneficial ownership transparency, data quality assurance, access to open data, as well as environmental and social transparency.

Armenia’s experience was presented as a leading example both in terms of multi-stakeholder cooperation and sectoral reforms, receiving positive recognition from international partners.

The roundtable discussions were moderated by Hasmik Manukyan, Head of the EITI National Secretariat of Armenia.

Representing Armenia, Vardan Jhanyan and Armen Stepanyan, members of the business constituency of the EITI MSG, and Nazeli Vardanyan and Artur Grigoryan, members of the civil society constituency, contributed to the discussions through presentations and active participation, helping to shape substantive and engaging exchanges.

Representatives of Armenian government institutions—Yeprem Karapetyan, Seda Hakobyan, Mariam Yeghiazaryan, and Artur Ghavalyan—presented Armenia’s institutional and legal reforms and made an important contribution to the exchange of experiences.

The participation of Grant Thornton representatives Naira Derdzyan and Vahe Hakobyan, serving as the Independent Administrator for Armenia’s latest EITI Report, was also particularly valuable. They shared their expertise in data quality assurance, accountability, and the preparation of the national EITI Report.

All representatives of Armenia’s private sector, government, and civil society demonstrated active engagement and effective cooperation throughout the workshop.

The contribution of the organizers, FSVC, and the funding partner, UK FCDO, was particularly important in creating this valuable platform and promoting regional cooperation.

The workshop once again demonstrated that open dialogue and partnership are essential to building a transparent and accountable extractive sector.