U.S. Assistance to Turkmenistan – Fiscal Year 2006

U.S. government assistance to Turkmenistan seeks to support the next generation of leaders and citizens who are willing and able to participate in a civil society. In Fiscal Year 2006, the estimated $7.65million budgeted by all U.S. Government agencies for assistance programs in Turkmenistan was allocated roughly as follows based on information available as of the date of this fact sheet:

Democracy programs in Turkmenistan continue to support civil society, public advocacy, and the rule of law, despite the restrictive operating environment in which NGOs work. Funding to civil society support centers provides training, grants, information support and technical assistance to indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups. Small grants programs promote civil society and civic education, advocacy, community development, women's and minority rights, and human rights. Training and exchange programs seek to give the next generation of leaders first-hand experience with the day-to-day functioning of a market-based, democratic system. Last year, the U.S. Government sent 154 Turkmen citizens to the United States on academic and professional exchange programs. Since 1993, the U.S. Government has funded the travel of 1,662 Turkmen citizens to the United States on these programs. Cooperation continues with the American University of Central Asia in the Kyrgyz Republic to provide scholarships for promising undergraduate students from Turkmenistan.

U.S. assistance programs in the health sector strengthen the delivery and management of social services. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports training for family doctors and nurses to improve their professional skills and improved diagnostic skills among laboratory technicians. USAID also trains healthcare system managers and provides technical assistance towards a new national policy on safe motherhood, as well as the adoption of the World Health Organization's definition of live birth to address the causes of infant mortality. The Keeping Children Healthy Campaign informs rural parents of better health practices for their families and children, with the goal of reduced mortality levels due to diarrhea, malnutrition, and acute respiratory infections. Infectious disease programs aim to reduce the spread of and improve treatment for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS as well as enhance health surveillance capacity in Turkmenistan. U.S. assistance for social services also works to counteract the deterioration of the education system through a limited basic education program that promotes interactive teaching methods and encourages parental involvement in schools.

Market reform programs focus on business and economics education for youth, small business development, and natural resource management. Economic development programs provide technical assistance and training to entrepreneurs, agricultural producers, and trade associations. USAID also supports seminars and certification on international financial reporting standards for business managers, accountants, and entrepreneurs. The Government of Turkmenistan is participating in a water resource management program to establish a communication system to collect and distribute hydrological data throughout the region. Additionally, a new program assists local farmers' organizations to improve water management and efficiency.

Turkmenistan lies along historic trade and smuggling routes that run between the North Caucasus, Southwest Asia, and Afghanistan. Security assistance programs aim to prevent the trafficking of persons and narcotics and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction along these routes. The U.S. Government is providing equipment and U.S.-based training to meet non-proliferation goals, and our Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program continues to improve Turkmen prevention capabilities against weapons proliferation and other illicit trafficking. The EXBS Program is working to develop and implement comprehensive Border Guard and Customs training programs by revamping curriculum and re-training instructors. In addition EXBS provides equipment to modernize Turkmen ports of entry. Foreign Military Financing and International Military Education and Training programs are working to ensure Turkmen military interoperability with NATO and Coalition forces in order to facilitate joint activities in support of the Global War On Terrorism.

Law enforcement training and technical assistance seek to improve Turkmenistan 's ability to disrupt the flow of narcotics in the region through the creation of a forensics lab and provision of basic equipment and training for counter-narcotics investigators. Cooperative efforts between the U.S. Government and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime provide equipment and training to improve Turkmen interdiction efforts along its border with Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy also assists efforts to combat trafficking in persons.