USAID Newsletter
June 30, 2009
Kazakhstan
A GDA Pilots More Effective Dairy Production Methods USAID’s GDA with several American and local firms has introduced a new method in Kazakhstan that has within months increased milk productivity by 24-42% and reduced production costs by 70% in the pilot farms. The GDA piloted a low-investment but high-yield method for rotational pasture management at 2 milk farms in Kazakhstan. These farms became demonstration sites were the GDA trained over 200 farmers, agricultural specialists, and students in this method. After the completion of the GDA, a local agricultural institute will continue promoting this method in the country.
The pilot farms increased productivity by up to 42% and reduced cost by 70%. Photo: USAID
USAID established a program that teaches, test, and certifies international-level accounting specialists. Photo: Pragma
Kazakh Government Adopts a USAID-Supported Accounting Program The Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan officially recognized the Certified International Professional Accountant (CIPA) program as an international accounting program and decreed that the CIPA certificate can substitute several requisite exams for auditors. The Eurasian Council of Certified Accountants and Auditors (ECCAA) - the body administering the CIPA program - became a member of the Advisory Council of Ministry of Finance on accounting and was affirmed as the official translators of International Financial Reporting Standards to the Russian language. CIPA was introduced in the Eastern European and Central Asian countries by USAID and has since gained wide popularity among the local accountants. Kazakhstan is second country after Uzbekistan where CIPA is accepted by the local government. USAID is Helping with a Comprehensive Reduction of Business Restrictions On the advice of USAID’s Business Environment Improvement Project, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister ordered government agencies to review all business-related permitting regulations and to eliminate at least half of them. The process must be completed by July and will significantly reduce state controlling burden on the business. Despite the past improvements, Kazakhstan businesses are subject to 378 licenses and sublicenses and thousands of ministerial and agency normative legal acts. The USAID project developed a modified guillotine principle based on the experience of other countries and will participate in the review process.
A USAID-funded advisor explains the reform process. Photo Pragma
Amended Law Eliminates Conflict between Legal Acts and the Kazakh Constitution The amendments to the Law on State Registration of Right for Real Estate and Transactions were recommended by the USAID Business Environment Improvement Project. Signed recently by President Nazarbayev, these amendments will help protect property rights for Kazakhstan’s citizens. Previously, the law required each property buyer in Kazakhstan to register the property within 6 months of the transaction date. Failure to do so resulted in a requirement to appear before court and various legal fees, which in turn
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expanded opportunities for corruption and contradicted the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which envisages security of ownership rights at all stages.
Kyrgyzstan
USAID and a Local Bank Launch a Student Loan Program Through this program, the Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank will provide loans to university students, and USAID will guarantee up to 50% of these loans to increase access to quality education. Additionally, with funding from USAID, the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia will help identify the educational institutions for inclusion in the student loan program and help students prepare themselves for finding jobs upon graduation. The program is an excellent example of a Public-Private Partnership, which aims to create a viable student loan model of education financing. Current loan packages in Kyrgyzstan are accessible to very few students due to steep interest rates, requirements for a collateral, and short repayment schedules. USAID-funded Program Reaches Out to its Beneficiaries Over 2,400 people attended a series of USAID-funded informational fairs for entrepreneurs in six key community centers across southern Kyrgyzstan this spring. The fairs were organized by the USAID-funded Collaborative Development Initiative, implemented by Mercy Corps. The events aimed to stimulate innovation and economic development and inform the communities about micro-loans available through this USAID-funded program. The fair provided advice and literature on agricultural, livestock, and business issues; offered meetings with equipment suppliers and successful recipients of the USAID-funded microloans. The USAIDfunded micro loans aim to support entrepreneurs in rural communities throughout southern Kyrgyzstan who may not be otherwise eligible for loans from regular financial institutions.
The Student Loan program was announced at a joint press conference. Photo: EFCA
The informational fair attracted hundreds of entrepreneurs. Photo: Mercy Corps
USAID Recognizes Best Practices in Local Government In early June the USAID Decentralization and Local Government Program conducted its 2009 Best Practices in Local Government in the Kyrgyz Republic conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Bishkek. The conference brought local government officials from all over the country together with government ministers and parliamentarians, the U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic and the USAID country representative, as well as international experts on local government from the United States, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The conference not only served to honor local governments for The U.S. Ambassador, a Kyrgyz Government representative congratulate the winner - Tulek their many excellent accomplishments over the past year, but Rural Municipality. Photo: Urban Institute also to showcase those accomplishments for their peers and give them a forum to discuss their experiences among each other and with international experts. And, with numerous print and broadcast media covering the conference, the stories of local governments’ successes were able to reach the broader public and raise awareness of important local government issues. New Dam Helps Irrigate Lands and Increase Harvests USAID helped Burgondu-Suu Water User Association in Kadamjai Rayon, Batken Oblast rehabilitate a diversion dam at the Soh River for irrigation of 550 hectares of arable land. To collect water for irrigation, 2
the villagers used to build a primitive wood-and-clay dam that was easily destroyed by floods. To help the villagers with a more durable solution, USAID, through its Water Users Association Support Program, provided a $56,571 grant to pay for construction materials. The community used their own labor, while the oblast and regional administration as well as the village council provided the rest of resources to erect a 250 meter-long, 6-meter high, and 4-meter wide dam. With a capacity of 1000 liters per second, the dam helps irrigate 550 hectares of land and benefits 1800 residents.
Tajikistan
Mudslide Survivors Receive Essential Supplies With funding from USAID, Save the Children delivered kits of essential hygiene supplies to 386 households whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged by recent mudslides in Khuroson District. Kits included such items as towels and bed linen, soap and laundry detergent, tooth paste and tooth brushes, shampoo, toilet tissue, buckets, and wash-basins. These kits will ensure that about 2,000 displaced individuals are able to meet their daily personal hygiene needs and prevent infections. Items for the kits were selected based consultations with the affected people about their most urgent needs, and distribution plans were coordinated with local government authorities and other agencies helping to respond to the mudslide disaster. Tajikistan Adopts USAID-Sponsored Legislation Tajikistan’s Government adopted three laws and amendments that significantly improve business registration, bankruptcy procedures, and shareholder protection. Tajikistan received very low ranking in the World Bank’s 2009 Doing Business report on these areas, and the government accepted an offer from the USAID Business Environment Improvement project to help improve legislation. The resulting new law “On State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs” significantly reduced both the time and the paperwork required for business registration. Meanwhile USAID-sponsored amendments to the laws “On Joint-Stock Companies” and “On Bankruptcy” expanded the rights of minority shareholders in case of misconduct by company officials and eliminated excessive bankruptcy procedures, decreasing the time and cost of the procedure and increasing the ratio of funds recovered for investors.
One of the recipients of the donation - a mother of 8 children - with her kit. Photo: Save the Children
Turkmenistan
This item is only for internal use: USAID Helps Draft Country’s Private Sector Development Program The USAID Economic Reforms to Enhance Competitiveness project recently began assisting with the preparation of Turkmenistan’s long-term (until 2020) National Program for Private Sector Development. The USAID project was requested to participate due to its contributions to the Private Sector Development Concept recently approved by President Berdymukhamedov as a basis for the long-term private sector development program. The new program will set out key objectives and targets in such areas as SME development and 3
A local consultant holds a Tajik business registration certificate. Photo: Pragma
Turkmen national program is to boost the private sector growth. Photo: Pragma
competitiveness, financial markets and tax issues, business education, infrastructure development, privatization, and trade and investment promotion. It will be submitted for presidential approval in July 2009. Once implemented, it is expected to create a favorable environment for entrepreneurship and boost the growth of the private sector share in the country’s non-oil-andgas GDP from 40% to 70%. A Youth Center Receives 100 Visitors Daily Every day, over 100 youths aged 15-25 visit the Youth Center opened by USAID in the Dashoguz City to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. In Central Asia, HIV/AIDS is mostly transferred through injected drug use. The Youth Center engages young men and women – one of the risk groups for drug use - in healthy alternative behaviors and education about this infection. The method was piloted by another USAID-funded project and shown to be highly effective in raising HIV/AIDS awareness among this group.
Youth centers offer youth health education and alternatives to drug use. Photo: USAID
Uzbekistan
A USAID-funded Public Service Announcement (PSA) Informs Uzbeks about Tuberculosis (TB) The PSA, developed by USAID and Project HOPE increased the number of queries to the TB hotline from 2-3 calls a week to 35 a week. It was broadcast over 6,000 times over a period of three months on a private TV channel with national coverage. Due to its effectiveness, the Uzbek national TB center decided to adopt it for broadcasts on the National TV channel, enabling broader reach. TB is at epidemic levels throughout Central Asia, and the PSA helps reduce the stigma and ensure timely referrals for diagnosis and treatment. Political Parties Prepare for Elections Although the December parliamentary elections are several months away, political party members in Uzbekistan are starting to devise campaign strategies and learn new outreach tactics with the help of USAID. In May, members of five political parties met in Tashkent for a workshop on the design of effective political campaigns, organized by NDI. The 33 participants learned how to structure campaigns, how to reach citizens, how to interact with the media during campaigns, and how to use advertising to publicize party platforms.
AgLinks Staff and a client sign supplier agreement at Moscow trade show. Photo: DAI
New IT Skills Increase Diagnostic Accuracy The Khorezm Regional Pathology Anatomy Bureau in Urgench has improved the accuracy of its cancer diagnoses from 43% to 70%, thanks to new technology and technical training by USAID and UNDP. UNDP’s Telemedicine Project provided the bureau Now residents have access to clean running with a microscope and a web camera, while the USAID internet water. Photo: Urban Institute access and training project taught four anatomical pathologists how to use the computer technology. As a result, the Bureau began consulting with one another using Telemedicine’s online iPath System (http://telemed.rpam.uzsci.net/). When concerned about a diagnosis, these doctors share relevant patient information, and - with the microscope and Web camera – photographs of affected cells via iPath. Please visit our website: http://centralasia.usaid.gov for more information about our programs.
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