Whistleblowing protection and awareness-raising on whistleblowing mechanisms are essential in fostering a culture of transparency and accountability within both the public and private sectors. Effective protection mechanisms ensure that individuals who expose wrongdoing are safeguarded against retaliation, encouraging more people to report unethical or illegal activities without fear. Awareness-raising initiatives educate potential whistleblowers and the general public regarding the importance of reporting misconduct. Such efforts promote integrity within institutions, strengthen public trust in governance, and uphold the rule of law.
To foster a culture of transparency and accountability and provide continuous support to the protection of whistleblowing, the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, provided a tailor-made a Training of Trainers Programme to a group of selected national trainers, representatives of non-governmental organizations (CSOs/NGOs) in Armenia. The event focused on enhancing their capacity to develop and conduct future awareness-raising events in the field of whistleblowing protection. It was successful in facilitating comprehensive discussions among participants on the current whistleblower protection system in Armenia, exploring international best practices, and devising strategies to foster a culture that encourages whistleblowing.
Additional focus was made on deepening the understanding of CSOs/NGOs regarding Armenia's existing system for reporting wrongdoings and exploring international recommendations on whistleblower protection (EU and Council of Europe requirements and legal instruments). The event also advanced the use of adult-learning tools and methodologies in upcoming awareness-raising activities in the field of protection of whistleblowing.
This event is part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the Project on “Enhancing national capacities for effective prevention and fight against economic crime in Armenia”.
