Armenia/ 3. Competence, decision-making and administration  

3.3 Inter-ministerial or intergovernmental co-operation

Besides the Ministry of Culture, inter-ministerial co-operation in the cultural field is handled by the Ministries of Diaspora, Foreign Affairs, Education and Science, Urban Development, Trade and Economic Development, Finance and Economy, and Justice. The Ministry of Culture cooperates with these ministries, in the form of discussions and solving of current issues and organisation of joint activities. The Ministry's Directorate on International Relations and Diaspora works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Financial-Economic Directorate – with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Legal Department – the Ministry of Justice, etc.

All the programmes on the ratification of the budget of the Ministry of Culture are coordinated with the Ministry of Finance. Every draft law drawn up by the Ministry is firstly introduced to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. If there are no comments, the draft law is submitted to the Ministry of Justice; only then it is submitted to the government.

Some structures that are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture have similar functions with other ministries. Thus, six artistic education establishments functioning under the Culture Ministry jurisdiction have common functions with the Education and Science Ministry. The museums that are under the jurisdiction of the Culture Ministry, which are partly scientific establishments, cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Science.

In the sphere of intercultural cooperation and pan-Armenian cultural development, the closest cooperation is established with the Ministry of Diaspora (created in 2008). Projects designed within the framework of the global initiative "One nation, one culture" are being implemented through joint efforts of both ministries. Besides, the Ministry of Diaspora pays particular attention to promotion of Armenian cultural values abroad, in the countries where representatives of the Armenian Diaspora live. These initiatives include publications, research projects, creation of electronic resources of Armenian culture (libraries, periodicals, etc), increasing cultural contacts among Armenians at home and in other countries, organisation of cultural, educational, and other types of events in Armenia and abroad, etc. One of the main strategic trends of 2010 and 2011 is the creation of a space for pan-Armenian cultural exchange. Due to the close collaboration of the Ministries of Culture and Diaspora, the cultural actors of the Armenian Diaspora have participated in Armenian festivals, concerts, exhibitions, tours, etc.

In the artistic education area, the Ministry of Culture cooperates with the Ministry of Justice and with the RA Police. Particularly, the Special Creative Centre of Juvenile Offenders, a state non-profit organisation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry, organises arts and craft education in reformatories (the Justice Ministry jurisdiction). Similar education is organised outside the reformatories, in cooperation with the RA Police. There is also the Children's Special Creative Centre, a state non-profit organisation operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, which organises arts education for the socially insecure and disabled children in special boarding schools and facilities (the jurisdiction of the Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs and Education and Science).

The Ministry of Culture also cooperates: in the information technology field – with the Ministry on Transport and Communication; in the area of the protection of children's rights and the improvement of women's rights and their role in society – with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; in the area of craft development issues – with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development; and in the area of preservation of historical-cultural monuments, the Ministry of Culture also cooperates with the Ministry of Urban Development.

The Ministry of Culture cooperates with the Ministry of Foreign Relations when carrying out any interstate activity. The invitations for Armenian artists to participate in any international cultural activities are received through the Ministry of Foreign Relations. When organising any international interstate activity in Armenia, foreign guests are also invited through the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

For the purpose of implementation of specific programmes, interagency committees are set up with the involvement of representatives of different ministries or local self-government bodies.

The marzpetarans elaborate social-economic programmes in their jurisdiction, with a separate section for programmes in the cultural field. In these programmes, the issues of the community in the cultural field are taken into account as well. The programmes serve as a basis for submission of applications for triennial state medium-term programmes.

According to the legislation, in particular the Law on Local Self-Government Bodies, the local self-government bodies themselves form the community budgets and ensure their implementation, including expenditure for the preservation of cultural organisations and for the organisation of cultural life. However, some communities have difficulty in carrying out these functions due to a shortage of funds and therefore the state budget offers programmes to enable communities to provide the necessary cultural services and to enable their citizens to participate in cultural life.

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