Strengthening the accountability, effectiveness, and transparency of government institutions in Turkmenistan.
Through its Governance Support Program, USAID seeks to improve the relationship between citizens and state actors by directly linking those who are governed with those who are democratically elected to govern. This program is implemented by The QED Group, LLC.
Since 2015, the Governance Support Program has provided educational resources and trainings for civil servants and promoted legal and regulatory frameworks that improve order and security, legitimacy, checks and balances, and equal application and enforcement of the law.
Improving Public Administration of Government Institutions
To improve the accountability, effectiveness, and transparency of government institutions, Governance Support Program activities are designed to:
- Improve public administration of government institutions
- Strengthen policy development and lawmaking processes and
- Strengthen technological systems to facilitate public service delivery
Towards these goals, the program hosts (and often co-hosts) seminars, study tours, workshops and other events designed to promote best practices related to anticorruption, civil society strengthening, and various other governance topics. Additionally, the program supports the implementation of new and improved technological systems to deliver public services more effectively and equitably.
Strengthening Policy Development and Lawmaking Processes
To support rule of law via strengthened policy development and lawmaking processes, Governance Support Program activities aim to:
- Increase evidence-based policy development and lawmaking, including mechanisms for civic participation
- Improve processes for citizen consultations
The program supports these goals by conducting legal analyses of Turkmen law, policies, and practices to guide improvements in lawmaking processes. The program also supports ongoing policy and process development broadly and in the context of specific topic areas such as gender equity, bioethics, infectious disease, disability rights, climate change, and environmental justice, among others.
Results To Date
As of January 2022, the Governance Support Program has successfully achieved the following results:
- Trained over 3,732 stakeholders in elements of strong governance and economic development, including ethics and women’s empowerment, equity and social inclusion, climate change and environmental protection, green technologies and effective meteorological analysis, effective agricultural policies and practices, use of information and communications technologies, and many more. Trainees have included civil servants as well as legislators, representatives from civil society and private industry, and individual citizens.
- Supported the strengthening of over thirty-five laws and policies to enable the Government of Turkmenistan to better serve its citizens. These laws have:
- Lowered the administrative and financial barriers to the establishment of nonprofit and civil society organizations;
- Supported increased private investment into sectors such as municipal waste management;
- Established ethical guidelines in a variety of industries and government civil service;
- Provided improved adaptation mechanisms for the climate resilience efforts; and
- Supported other elements of improved governance.
- Helped introduce modern e-governance systems, including disease surveillance systems, land cadasters, and meteorological data systems.
