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Central Asia Republics Regional
>> Regional Overview >> Central Asia Republics Regional Overview
Program Summary
USAID Search: Central Asia Republics
Previous Years' Activities
2001, 2000, 1999
Last updated: 03
Introduction
The five Central Asian republics have a combined population of 55 million, a land mass greater than Western Europe, and a significant share of the world's oil and gas reserves. Surrounded by Russia, China, Iran and Afghanistan, they are adjacent to, and affected by, some of the 21st century's most important ideological, political and economic struggles. The overarching U.S. goal in all five countries is a stable, Western-oriented development to assure access to the regions substantial oil, gas and mineral resources and to prevent the expansion of radicalism and the trafficking in weapons and narcotics.
Development Challenge
Progress towards transition to open market democracies is mixed in the Central Asian region. Three of the five countries are committed to economic reform. The region generally has become more authoritarian and movement towards democratic reform has been halting. While there has been no progress towards electoral reform and efforts to establish an independent media have met with mixed results, the NGO community has grown stronger and has increasingly become involved in advocacy issues. All countries in the region are committed to making improvements to healthcare and are making efforts to address the region's rising incidence of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. Poor coordination and decision making on natural resources management issues has led to environmental problems such as the Aral Sea disaster, where over-irrigation by countries in the region turned this body of water into a salty wasteland. Efforts to improve natural resource management and regional coordination on resource issues have met with varied success.
The overall challenge in the region is to expand economic opportunities, civic and social organizations and public services to provide better livelihoods for citizens, thus contributing to stability in the region. Improving economic opportunities also involves improvements in the management of the region's wealth of natural resources to prevent their depletion. There is concern that lack of political, economic and social change will serve to intensify the radicalism and ethnic tensions that are already threatening the southern parts of this region.
USAID is addressing this challenge through a number of bilateral program initiatives. However, the some of Central Asia's development challenges require a regional response. For example, decisions made regarding the use and management of water resources in one country have important implications for its neighbors. All five countries in the region are located in the Aral Sea Basin and depend on its water resources for irrigation and industrial and domestic use. Soviet mismanagement led to a shrinking of the Aral Sea. To prevent further ecological disaster, all five Central Asian countries must work together to allocate and use this important resource more effectively. The resurgence of infectious disease is also a regional problem. A disease outbreak in one country could lead to the resurgence of this disease in a neighboring country. Thus, coordinated regional efforts are needed to effectively deal with these health threats. A regional approach also enables the Central Asian countries to share lessons learned and information with their neighbors to promote improved business and economic opportunities, civil society and open media.
FY 2002 Program
USAID has established the following new strategic objectives with Central Asia regional funds:
Improved Management of Critical Natural Resources, including Energy: FY 2002 funding will be used to train natural resources officials in the region, providing them with a stronger basis for decision-making through better data collection systems, stronger partnerships with U.S. policy specialists, and better public relations skills. The Syr Darya River, one of the two major feeders to the Aral Sea, continues to be a focal point for water and energy management discussions in the region due to its contributions to irrigated agriculture systems in the Ferghana Valley (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and southern Kazakhstan. Funds will also be used to help the Central Asian Economic Community (CAEC) build on the strengths of existing regional water and energy organizations to reach consensus on transboundary natural resource issues.
Improved Environment for the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises: Funding for bilateral programs will support improvements to business and economics training for university students, entrepreneurs, and government officials. This new activity fills a critical gap in USAID's current regional economics and business education strategy by better preparing high school students for rigorous university-level economics courses. FY 2002 funding will be used to develop and strengthen the Junior Achievement International member nations throughout Central Asia to promote self-sustaining economics and business programs. Illustrative activities include after-school and summer camp programs where students not only learn how businesses function, they also learn about the structure of a free enterprise system.
Strengthened Democratic Culture among Citizens and Target Institutions: USAID will actively promote the growth of regional cooperation between Central Asian NGOs. This will be done through regional conferences, workshops, training and exchanges and build on the informal exchanges that have occurred naturally in the course of regional development. FY2002 funding will be used for exchanges of people and information between NGO centers in the Ferghana Valley and the strengthening of regional legal and judicial associations. Youth civic education programs and curricula developed in one country will be introduced into other countries.
Increased Utilization of Quality Primary Health Care for Select Populations: In the Central Asia region the HIV/AIDS situation has become more alarming over the past year. Although the number of HIV cases is low, the trends are exponential. In FY 2002, with the benefit of additional funds, USAID will support regional HIV/AIDS activities, including surveillance, interventions with high-risk groups, social marketing and public education. USAID will also expand donor coordination, led by UNAIDS and USAID, in the Central Asian Regional HIV/AIDS initiative.
Since all of these objectives are newly designed as a result of the Central Asian mission's strategic planning process, performance indicators and targets are now under development and will be presented in next year's Congressional Budget Justification.
Activity Data Sheets
- 176-131 Improved Environment for the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises
- 176-015 A More Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Energy Sector
- 176-0161 Improved Management of Critical Natural Resources, including Energy
- 176-0211 Strengthened Democratic Culture among Citizens and Target Institutions
- 176-032 Increased Utilization of Quality Primary Health Care for Select Populations
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
