USAID Celebrates Its Programs In Turkmenistan

On May 6, over 200 representatives from government, counterpart, implementer, and beneficiary organizations attended a festive event that celebrated USAID’s work in Turkmenistan. Participants saw presentations and exhibitions about USAID’s work, as well as had an opportunity to hear information from USAID staff. The event was generously covered by the print, internet, and TV outlets.

GDAs Improve Maternal, Child Health in Astana

In April, USAID and ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc. have completed their fifth one-year Global Development Alliance focused on health care in the Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. Due to this partnership, 12,000 women annually give birth in maternity wards that implement safer practices, and many more mothers and children receive better primary health care.

Agreement with the Ministry of Health to Serve as a Foundation for USAID’s Programs

In April USAID and the Kazakhstani Ministry of Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding on healthcare cooperation through 2013. Under this agreement, USAID will help the Government of Kazakhstan meet its healthcare goals, carry out healthcare reforms, and improve medical care. USAID will focus on tuberculosis control, response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and quality assurance for health services.

The Government to Reconsider Restrictive Internet Law

With funding from USAID, Freedom House recently held a round-table on a draft law that, if adopted as is, will significantly restrict the freedom of opinion on the Internet, including chat rooms and blogs. The event was co-hosted by Adil Soz, OSCE, the Union of Journalists, and the State Agency on Information and Statistics and generated several recommendations to improve the draft.

Civil Society Organizations Receiving Foreign Aid Enjoy Simpler Reporting Requirements

Starting this year, civil society organizations receiving foreign aid will only report on total expenditures for major categories, such as salary, travel. In the past these organizations were required to report to the tax authorities on every transaction, which created a huge burden and expense for them.

USAID Beneficiary Enhances Women’s Rights

The Kyrgyz Parliament passed a new law that will allow women to participate in the Aksakal (Honored Men) Courts. Aksakal Courts act as mediation mechanism in Kyrgyz communities and usually consider such cases as domestic violence, robbery, and other small crimes. Inclusion of women among the jury of the Aksakal Court will expand the ability of women to address issues of their importance and enhance the equality of representation.

New Legislation Removes Trade Barriers

Kyrgyz Parliament has passed several pieces of legislation developed with USAID’s assistance that will simplify import and export and improve country’s rating in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report. Kyrgyzstan is currently at the very bottom of the Trading Across Borders indicator of this report, due to the country’s remoteness from ports and also because of the cumbersome and lengthy exports and imports procedures.

Kyrgyzstan Simplifies Property Registration

The Kyrgyz Government has signed several business-related laws developed with support from a USAID project that significantly reduce the time and costs for property registration. The USAID Business Environment Improvement project helped prepare recommendations and amendments for the Law on State Registration of Property Rights and Transactions as well as the Civil Code.

Generators to Alleviate Energy Shortages at Hospitals

Last winter, USAID provided 59 generators to 58 key hospitals across Kyrgyzstan to ensure that they have an independent electricity source in case of power outages. The generators were delivered, installed at maternity wards, emergency, and surgery departments. The same hospitals also received 29 transformers and various spare parts, as well as training for their staff for maintenance of the generators.

Kyrgyz Judiciary Moves towards Greater Independence

The Kyrgyz Republic adopted a budget amendment for the judiciary promoted in the framework of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Threshold Program. The amendment was based on the draft recommendations prepared by the MCA and USAID Judicial Reform Assistance Project. The Kyrgyz Parliament approved the suggested amendment to the law.

The Center of Excellence Produced Its First Family Doctors

In April, USAID and local government representatives presented diplomas to the first eight graduates of the Family Medicine Center of Excellence in Pаnjаkent, Sughd Oblast. The center in Pаnjаkent was established in 2008 in collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the USAID ZdravPlus Project, the Sughd Oblast Health Department, and the Pаnjаkent City Municipality.

Students Enter International Economics Competition

This spring USAID sponsored 15 alumni and students (five groups) of the Junior Achievement Program from Turkmenistan in the international economics and management competition “Hewlett-Packard Global Business Challenge”. This was the first time that Turkmen students have entered this competition.

Laboratory Supplies and Reagents to Fight Tuberculosis

Recently, USAID and its grantee Project HOPE presented a supply of consumables and reagents for tuberculosis microscopy laboratories to the Ministry of Health of Turkmenistan. The supply will be distributed to TB laboratories nationwide in support of the National Tuberculosis Program to provide for the needs of these facilities for one year.

USAID Opens “Export Window” for Farmers

A Samarkand-based agrifirm “Istiklol meva sabzavot” recently signed a $7.9 million contract to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to Russia during the 2009 growing season. Previous efforts by the agrifirm in 2007 and 2008 to find external buyers for their farmers’ produce had been unsuccessful. But this year, staff of the USAID AgLinks project arranged a trip for this and other agrifirms to the Food Ingredients trade show in Moscow and facilitated their negotiations.