U.S. Assistance to Turkmenistan - Fiscal Year 2003

The Turkmenistan assistance program seeks to support the next generation of leaders and citizens who are willing and able to participate in civil society.

In Fiscal Year 2003, the $11.1 million budgeted by all U.S. Government agencies for assistance programs in Turkmenistan is allocated roughly as follows:

Democracy Programs	$ 4.7 million
Economic & Social Reform	$ 2.4 million
Security & Law Enforcement	$ 1.4 million
Humanitarian Assistance	$ 0.5 million
Cross Sectoral Initiatives	$ 2.1 million

Democracy programs in Turkmenistan focus on supporting civil society, public advocacy, and strengthening the rule of law. Funding to civil society centers provides training, grants, and technical assistance to indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups. Funds support a grassroots community development and advocacy program. The assistance program for the legal information center at Turkmen State University is expanding its legal seminars and clinics to include more law student participants. Small grant-making programs administered by the National Endowment for Democracy and U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat support the work of indigenous NGOs to promote civil society, civic education, women’s and minority rights, independent media, human rights, freedom of speech, and related initiatives.

Training and exchange programs seek to create a cadre of reform-minded, action-oriented citizens by giving 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 nearly 160 Turkmen citizens to the United States on academic and professional exchange programs in fields ranging from management to social service provision to NGO development. Since 1993, the U.S. Government has funded the travel of some 1,170 Turkmen citizens to the United States on these programs. This year, funding will increase for exchange programs focusing on the education of young people such as the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program for high school students and the Teaching Excellence Awards program. Cooperation will continue with the American University of Central Asia in the Kyrgyz Republic to provide scholarships for promising undergraduate students from Turkmenistan. The U.S. Government also promotes access to information through programs like the Internet Access and Training program, which supports six free access sites in five cities in Turkmenistan.

U.S. assistance programs seek to strengthen the delivery and management of social services by improving education, fostering community development, and supporting the health-care sector. In an effort to counteract the deterioration of the education system, a new program aims to equip students with civic and labor force skills. The program trains teachers in interactive teaching methods, integrating critical thinking and learning techniques into curricula and teaching materials. Other program goals include increasing parent and community involvement in schools, strengthening the capacity of school administration, and improving school infrastructure.

The Community Action Investment Program (CAIP) aims to mitigate sources of tension in conflict-prone areas by mobilizing local communities to improve social conditions through small-scale, labor-intensive infrastructure projects such as rehabilitating schools or irrigation canals. Assistance for primary health care includes training in family and preventive medicine and technical assistance to Turkmenistan's Ministry of Health and Medical Industry in implementing the World Health Organization-recommended Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) strategy for tuberculosis control in Ashgabat. The HIV/AIDS prevention program targets most at-risk groups. Health partnerships provide retraining for doctors and nurses.

Market reform programs focus on small business development and natural resource management. Economic development programs provide technical assistance and training to entrepreneurs, agricultural producers, and trade associations. USAID's EdNet program offers college students greater access to economics and business courses. USAID also supports seminars on commercial law for lawyers, law students, and entrepreneurs. In the area of water resource management, significant progress has been made with the Government of Turkmenistan in establishing a communication system to collect and distribute hydrological data throughout the region. USAID also assists the government in enforcing recently-passed regulations that bring Turkmenistan into conformity with international standards governing oil and gas production.

Security assistance through the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program helps to strengthen the Turkmenistan Customs and Border Guards capabilities to prevent the transit of weapons of mass destruction, proliferation-related technology, and other illicit weapons. In FY 2003, the U.S. allocated $450,000 in International Military Education and Training and $690,000 in Foreign Military Financing to encourage military reform.

Anti-crime training and technical assistance focuses on counter narcotics efforts and improved detection, interdiction, and enforcement capabilities through establishment of counter-narcotics units. Funds for FY 2003 support construction of a forensics lab for use in counter-narcotics investigations in Turkmenistan. Supplemental funding from FY 2002 to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides equipment and training to improve drug trafficking and smuggling controls along Turkmenistan's border with Afghanistan. Programs to prevent trafficking in persons (TIP) have also begun.

Humanitarian Programs for Turkmenistan in FY 2003 include the provision of over $1.6 million in donated medical supplies, clothing, and food for the most needy people.

In FY 2003, forty-two Peace Corps volunteers are working in the areas of English education and health.