Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (May 11, 2009)—An official Turkmen government delegation has recently returned from a 7-day study tour in the United States sponsored by USAID under the Local Government Strengthening Program and implemented by Counterpart International and the Urban Institute. The delegation was comprised of the Director of the National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights (NIDHR),  the Director of the Institute of State and Law of Turkmenistan and the Chairwoman of the Medjlis (Parliament) Committee on Local Self Governance. The study tour was designed to promote professional dialogue between participating Turkmen government officials with U.S. government and public representatives on country development and strategic planning, local governance strengthening and legal framework best practices.

During the visit the Turkmen delegation visited Washington D.C., where they met with the representatives of the US State Department and USAID. They also traveled to the states of Maryland and Vermont, meeting with the mayor of Annapolis, MD and her staff, the city manager of Windsor, VT and his staff, the governor of Vermont, and the speakers of the Vermont and Maryland state legislatures. Among the topics discussed there were issues related to local self governance, such as local governments’ budget development and economic strategic planning process, legislation drafting process, citizens’ participation in decision making and  municipal-level service delivery.

Press Release in pdf format