PROJECT ON ECONOMIC REFORM & DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA
Program Update
April 15, 1993
The Project on Economic Reform and Development in Central
Asia (PERDCA) encourages, facilitates and supports technical
assistance (TA) efforts directed towards the Central Asian
Republics of the former Soviet Union. PERDCA has been active
with resident Western representation in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
for more than a year. During this tumultuous period of
economic and political transformation, PERDCA has reacted
flexibly to the changing needs of the region with three
types of programs to foster an environment for positive
change: (1) Frameworks which enhance in-country coordination
between TA groups; (2) Initiatives which enrich cooperation
between the local and the foreign communities; (3) Networks
which improve electronic communication and global
interconnectivity.
1. PROGRAM COORDINATION
On-the-ground coordination of technical assistance efforts
is widely recognized as necessary and valuable. Too often,
however, no single organization has the time, personnel,
financial resources and incentive to individually effect a
functional coordinating mechanisms. PERDCA deliberately
addresses these communal needs.
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* FRIENDS OF UZBEKISTAN
PERDCA founded and chairs "Friends of Uzbekistan," a
voluntary association of TA groups committed to inter-
organizational cooperation. Friends of Uzbekistan is the
oasis in Tashkent around which the technical assistance
community gathers to share information and explore
collaborative opportunities. The mission of the association
is to improve the quality, increase the amount, broaden the
extent and enhance the effectiveness of technical assistance
to Uzbekistan.
Monthly meetings facilitate coordination and cooperation
between groups through the dissemination of useful
information, the discussion of important TA experiences and
the formulation of an organizational position on specific
important issues. The Friends of Uzbekistan Gazette,
published monthly in both printed and electronic forms,
complements the meetings with summaries and supplements.
The Gazette is also intended for distribution to the Uzbek
press, to publicize locally the aims and activities of
foreign TA groups in Uzbekistan.
In addition to the regularly scheduled events and reports,
Friends of Uzbekistan sponsors special projects such as
seminars on important topics including 1) "Preventative
Health" presented by the Peace Corps Medical Officer, Judy
Sutton, 2) "Registration Procedures" by a chief official
from the Uzbek Office of Visas and Registration, as well
3) documentary screenings on minorities in Uzbekistan,
and the plight of the Tajik refugees.
Friends of Uzbekistan activities have involved
representatives from most of the major TA groups in
Uzbekistan: United States Agency for International
Development, the European Community, the World Bank, the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the
Central Asian Free Exchange, Crosslink International, the
Project on Economic Reform and Development in Central Asia,
Vision International, Price Waterhouse, Winrock
International, the American Council for Collaboration in
Education and Language Studies, the Joint Development
Agency, the Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Committee, the
Futures Group, Save the Children, Development Alternatives
Incorporated, World Learning, the Eurasia Foundation,
Independent Journalism Foundation, the United States Peace
Corps, the United States Embassy and several other
embassies, international NGOs, PVOs and government
delegations.
Additionally, Friends of Uzbekistan encourages participation
by local individuals and organizations. Several local
groups represented recently at meetings have included:
the Cabinet of Ministers, Tashkent State Economics
University,Nadezhda (Hope), the University of World Economy and
Diplomacy, the Institute for Oriental Studies, several local mass media
organizations, the Uzbek National Dance Company, Asian
Business Agency, and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations. To
the obvious gains in mission effectiveness through improved
coordination there is the added benefit of a greater sense
of community and unity of purpose through enhanced
communication.
* CONSULTATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES
PERDCA's presence in Uzbekistan at nexus between foreign TA
and local NGO's afford a valuable vantage point for
organizations considering programs in Central Asia. There
is a long list of organizations which have approached PERDCA
for consultation and technical support. Most recently,
PERDCA assisted exploratory and site visits from Mercy Corps
International, the Eurasia Foundation, Development
Alternatives, the Independent Journalism Foundation, the
International City Management Association, Winrock
International, the Maurebeni Corporation , Engineering
Consulting Firms Association, the University of Japan, and
World Learning. On occasion, PERDCA has facilitated
logistical support in translation and interpretation, transportation,
lodging, research and scheduling for visiting organizations.
PERDCA has also longer term cooperation arrangements with
several organizations, including the International Science
Foundation, and Development Alternatives Incorporated.
On the Horizon
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* SUPPORT OF THE UPCOMING ARAL SEA CONFERENCE
As Uzbekistan goes through this major transition period, it
is important to engage such issues as the Aral Sea catastrophe
by gathering scientists, government officials, and other
specialists from the local community and abroad to explore possible
solutions. The Hydrological Committee for the Aral Sea has asked PERDCA
to provide organizational support for their Aral Sea Conference.
Due to the nature of PERDCA's programming, as well as its
communication technologies, it is recognized as a nexus
between local and international groups.
2. CROSS-CULTURAL COOPERATION
Inter-cultural unfamiliarity is an inhibitive residue which
remains in Central Asia even as the international isolation
of several generations begins to wash away. The rest of the
world is just beginning to become reacquainted with the
people and culture of what was Soviet Central Asia.
Important PERDCA efforts target the interface between the
technical assistance community and the local community in
order to enhance the receptivity to, and efficacy of,
cooperative efforts initiated by foreign organizations in
Central Asia.
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* COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
PERDCA and Columbia University in New York have laid the
groundwork for an innovative internship program. With the
support of Mr. Robin Lewis, Associate Dean of Columbia's
School of International and Public Affairs, PERDCA will
place between half a dozen and a dozen graduate students from
the School of International and Public Affairs in positions
throughout Uzbekistan. The placements will last three
months. The interns will provide much needed expertise to both
government branches and institutions, international
technical assistance organizations and local non-government
organizations. The past experience of the students includes international
diplomacy, environmental law, energy efficiency programs,
and a number of other things that will make them vital resources
to organizations in Uzbekistan. Reciprocally, the Columbia
interns will be gaining vast insights into both the work
environment, as well as the approaches Uzbekistan is taking
to meet the challenges going into the next century.
The facilitate the Columbia University Internship Program,
PERDCA has opened a representative office at Columbia
University in New York. The office is staffed by a first year graduate
student originally from Namangan, Uzbekistan.
* WORK / STUDY INTERNSHIPS
The younger generation exhibits the greatest capacity to
span the TA and local communities. Practical training for
young people is a highest PERDCA priority. In Uzbekistan,
many university students possess language and professional
skills complementary to the needs of TA organizations. The
absence of information flows and established cross-cultural
linkages limits a natural confluence. PERDCA, therefore,
created a Work/Study Internship as a bridging mechanism.
The program recruits a talented pool of qualified university
students and solicits openings for them among international
organizations, to the advantage of everyone.
Interns learn professional and administrative skills through
on-the-job training, observe Western business practices,
practice English (or another language) in a work
environment, develop a resume with international references
and earn money. Specific host organizations and the
technical assistance at-large benefit also. Increased
interaction between the TA and local communities which
raises the profile, improves the image and illustrates the
mutual value of technical assistance in a heretofore
isolated region of the of the world. Cross-fertilizing
foreign organizations with local help enhances the
foreigner's ability to understand and appreciate the local
culture. Training young people augments the future talent
pool for TA organizations (while simultaneously elevating
the educational foundation of Uzbekistan). Employing
interns increases TA effectiveness in the accomplishment of
numerous labor and time intensive tasks characteristic of
the region, yet at minimal expense.
This program benefits substantially from the wide and deep
connections PERDCA has been cultivating in its efforts to
assist TA coordination. Additionally, the program provides
associated services such as screening candidates, matching
interns with organizations, compiling work records, and
recommending standardized levels of compensation, etc. To
date, over 15 interns have been placed with various Western
groups for long and short-term projects. Some internships
have already led to full-time job offers. Eventually, the
program will be extended beyond Tashkent to include other
cities of Uzbekistan.
* JUNIOR LECTURERS
The Central Asian Republics can consume economic technical
assistance only to the extent that local specialists can
evaluate and integrate the advice of outside foreign
consultants. To create this cadre of capable specialists,
nascent and newly retooled management and business
universities are seeking instructors versed in market
economics and appropriate free market curricula. In
response, PERDCA developed the Junior Lecturer (JL) Program
to attract graduate students of economics, policy, business
and law to teach their specialization in Central Asia.
PERDCA's first JL began teaching at the Tashkent State
Economics University in November, 1992. The first major JL
exchange was in the summer of 1993 and comprised a corps of
seven graduate students from the Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University and from the Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. The JL's
taught various subjects related to market reform:
introductory micro- and macro- economics, public
administration, trade and finance, and principles of
management at summer sessions of the Tashkent State
Economics University and of the Tashkent International
Business University, one of Uzbekistan's first private
universities. The audience of these sessions spanned the
social spectrum from university undergraduates, to the new
class of businessmen, to government officials. It is
anticipated that this program will continue the institutions
of the Central Asian Republics.
* EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
PERDCA has been instrumental in the widening scope of
educational exchanges throughout Central Asia. Tashkent
State Economics University placed over 20 of their most
qualified students in United States Universities for a year
of study starting in the fall semester of 1993,
significantly with the support of PERDCA expertise,
international contacts and communications capabilities.
Several other universities plus the Ulugbek Foundation, a
local NGO mandated to facilitate exchange programs between
Uzbekistan and the West, now look to PERDCA as a contact
point for future exchanges.
On The Horizon
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* LOCAL NGO DEVELOPMENT
Non-government Organizations (NGOs) are some of the most
effective organizations worldwide at addressing social,
cultural, and economic problems worldwide at the local
level. Support for indigenous NGO's by international
NGO's and governmental institutions can be a powerful
influence stimulating and sustaining growth of new
democratic institutions. PERDCA has proposed to harness
and organize the considerable energy and expertise of the
technical assistance community in a series of seminars and
workshops specifically designed to share empowerment skills
and information.
The program will include several plenary sessions on the
role of NGO's in civil society of developed countries, NGO
management techniques, NGO creation, accounting
fundamentals, fund raising, proposal writing and working
with donor organizations. Plenary skill seminars will
involve working with consultants, electronic mail and
telecommunications and media relations. Additionally
special workshops will address particular needs of NGO's
that target women, medical NGO's, youth NGO's, and human
rights organizations. PERDCA's regional NGO Development
Conference will give all NGOs working in Central Asia,
both local and international, the opportunity to network,
exchange ideas, and continue to develop cooperative
relationships.
* ELECTRONIC PENPALS
New technologies offer exciting ways to promote cross
cultural understanding and language training for youngsters
which were never before possible. Exploiting this
technology, PERDCA is collaborating with the International
Republican Institute (IRI) and the Boys and Girls Union, a
children's collective at School #17 in Tashkent, to
elaborate an Electronic Penpal Program. The program will
link Tashkent students with their peers, initially in
Sister-City Seattle, and then other cities across America.
American students on exchange will provide technical
training and assistance. After the participants return
home, dialogues and friendships begun during the exchange
will be maintained and nurtured via the E-mail channel
jointly established. Special IRI programs will give
structure and guidance to discussions, with the help of
specially trained counselors. This project could become a
model of connectivity between other primary and secondary
educational centers across the United States and the former
Soviet Union.
* COMPUTER TRAINING CENTER
PERDCA has submitted a plan to the Microsoft Corporation,
with the cooperation of the Seattle Sister City Committee, which
details the creation of a Computer Training Center in Tashkent. The
center would fill the restrictive void in computer training
opportunities that continues to plague Uzbekistan. The Center would
provide computers and a number of courses, ranging from word
processing, to computer programming, to simple typing.
3. GLOBAL ELECTRONIC NETWORKING
Deep sclerosis in the flow of international information,
wrought of antiquated technology and out-dated policy
effectively prolong Central Asia's isolation. PERDCA is
exploiting advanced equipment and technologies to open new
arteries for communication.
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* SILKNET
Centuries ago, the mythical Silk Road connected Central
Asia's centers of trade, learning, and culture with the East
and West. SilkNet is electronically recreating this
network, once again providing avenues for news, information,
and other valuable cargo throughout and across Central Asia.
The enumerated goals of the network resonate with the
PERDCA's mandated objectives: To improve and expand the
telecommunications capabilities and alternatives in Central
Asia; To access international networks and information
resources directly through the United States or Europe; To
strengthen and encourage the growth of local
telecommunications infrastructure and capacity; To
stimulate the birth and development of local NGO's; To
provide a forum through which the TA and NGO communities can
share information of value and general interest to all.
With the financial support of a planning grant from the Asia
Foundation and technical support from the Institute for
Global Communications (IGC), PERDCA established an
electronic bulletin board which allows NGO's to access
PERDCA's newly centralized databases and communications by
electronic mail. With this simple system, PERDCA is
introducing the NGO community to the informational and
communication resources available through the network.
The electronic networking program is designed such that
technical expertise will expand in parallel with system
demands. Already there are more than 130 subscribers on
SilkNet. There is a growing list of services tailored to
the needs of the technical assistance community. SilkNet
offers off-line access to Internet conferences selected by
subscribers, several locally grown SilkNet conferences and
two mailing lists, one which supports Friends of Uzbekistan
with distribution targeted mainly within Tashkent and
another which encompasses the entire TA community in
Central Asia.
PERDCA initiated another important mailing list recently, as
well. One of the most pressing needs in Uzbekistan is
information. The lack of this vital resource has
necessitated the creation of a mailing list called
"Local News". PERDCA compiles English translations from
several local business and current event newspapers. One,
Business Partner, is the economic promotion organ of the
Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations. Asian Business
Agency, Ltd. (ABA) provides periodic translations of
relevant articles from BVV, a monthly business and investment
newspaper. The "Local News" mailing list includes over 50
clients internationally.
Structurally, SilkNet has been upgrading and expanding.
While SilkNet has filled an important role in international
interconnectivity, access to E-mail throughout Central Asia
has remained extremely limited. This, in turn, limits the
opportunities for scientific, academic, technological and
business interaction. SilkNet is now in the position to
remedy this problem by expanding its service base. PERDCA
expects to be receiving over 20 computers from The Second
World Center, an organization based in the Netherlands with
projects in the former Soviet Union. PERDCA will then use
these computers to expand SilkNet into other regions of
Central Asia. These nodes will be open for public use.
PERDCA has also upgraded the actual software package it
provides to users, making the overall use of the system more
efficient and user-friendly. It is for these reasons that
PERDCA's SilkNet has quickly become the largest non-profit
system in ex-Soviet Central Asia.
* COMMUNITY BASED ASSISTANCE
Community based assistance helps local organizations
overcome individual obstacles to global networking with
specialized services.
** SILKNET OPEN-HOUSE: PERDCA opens it's office and makes
available its equipment at various times during each week
to provide electronic mail access for representatives of the
local and foreign TA community who have otherwise limited
opportunities to computerized communications.
** EQUIPMENT DONATIONS: PERDCA has provided local non-
governmental and not-for-profit civic groups with modems.
This activity is part of an International Research Exchange
Board (IREX) project funded by a National Endowment for
Democracy project to encourage nascent democratization and
pluralism. Recipients thus far have been the Boys and Girls
Union at School #17, Nadezhda - a local NGO targeting the
physically challenged, the private Tashkent International
Business University, Tashkent State Economics University,
and the University of World Languages.
On The Horizon
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* EXPANSION
SilkNet will continue to strive to connect Central Asia with
the world. PERDCA in cooperation with the technical
assistance community in Central Asia plans to expand its services to
other parts of Central Asia.
PUBLICATIONS
PERDCA has sponsored or otherwise contributed to several
publications both in the print and electronic media. Copies
of all of the following are available upon request for the
cost of reproduction and delivery.
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* COUNTRY SURVEYS
In conjunction with Jim Cashel of the Eurasia Foundation,
PERDCA conducted surveys of the TA programs and the TA
climate in the highest profile recipient countries of
Central Asia: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The first report,
"Western Technical Assistance to Uzbekistan: Programs and
Prognosis," was published in the first 1993 edition of the
"Central Asian Monitor." "Western Technical Assistance to
Kazakhstan: Programs and Promise" was published in the
second 1993 edition. A "Glossary of Technical Assistance
Contacts in Central Asia" is appended to these reports.
* GUIDE TO PERSONAL COMPUTING AND ELECTRONIC
MAIL IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
Wes Cole, the first SilkNet Director, has compiled his
extensive E-mail experience of several networks in separate
regions of the former Soviet Union in this guidebook. It is
a valuable reference for anyone desiring to communicate from
the newly independent republics. Topics covered range from
how-to instructions, to equipment considerations, to
Cyrillic encoding methods.
* E-MAIL ADDRESS LISTS
PERDCA records and shares lists of electronic mail
addresses. Two lists are currently available: Relcom
clients in Central Asia (including users in all five states:
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and
Turkmenistan); and all organizations, both foreign and
local, involved in technical assistance in Central Asia
which have any email account.
* UNDERSTANDING UZBEKISTAN:
A GUIDE TO WORKING EFFECTIVELY IN UZBEKISTAN
Chris Mott with assistance of local community members has
written and published a guidebook focusing on essential
information people should have to work effectively in
Uzbekistan. Economic profiles; registration processes;
business and technical assistance services; international
communication; preparation tips; access to international
news; government listings; cultural; and historical nuances
of the region; as well as a range of other practicalities
are included in the guide. It is a vital resource for
anyone wanting to maximize the results of their project in
Uzbekistan.
On The Horizon
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* CENTRAL ASIA TRAVEL GUIDE
PERDCA is collecting information from travelers throughout
Central Asia such as low-cost hotel options, visa
information and various other valuable traveler's tips. A
hard copy compilation will be available soon, but many tips
are already available on SilkNet. (All contributions based
on personal experience are welcome.)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
PERDCA's experience has been called upon on several
occasions to speak and/or participate in various seminars
and forums to share the experiences and information that
they have accumulated.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PERDCA is very grateful to a growing list of generous
benefactors. A seed grant from the Echoing Green Foundation
enabled PERDCA to blossom from a concept to a reality.
A Frederick Sheldon Grant from Harvard University
supported preparatory planning and research. The Asia
Foundation is the sponsor of SilkNet and other PERDCA
interconnectivity programs for which the Institute for
Global Communications is the valued partner. The Harvard
Institute for International Development, the National
Endowment for Democracy and Ian Freed Consulting have each
contributed to PERDCA programs with in-kind donations of
computer equipment and/or modems. The Junior Lecturers were
financed by the Summer Internship Fund of Kennedy School of
Government, the McCloy Scholarship Foundation and the
Maurice Amado Foundation. The Peace Corps and Winrock
International have opened up their meeting rooms for Friends
of Uzbekistan meetings and shared their valuable expertise.
The work/study and Friends of Uzbekistan programs are
sponsored by the Eurasia Foundation. Several other PERDCA
programs have benefited from the material and morale support
of the Eurasia Foundation. Development Alternatives, Inc. has
furthered PERDCA's success. PERDCA gives special thanks to Ernie
Chung, Geoff Sears, and Jim Cashel for their efforts in supporting
PERDCA's development. We also wish to give special thanks Alisher
Djumonov, former Special Assistant to the Director, for his vital
role in PERDCA's growth.
KEY PERSONNEL
In Uzbekistan:
Regional Director
Mac Viers
(3712) 45-54-97, 56-14-22
macviers@silk.glas.apc.org
National Programs Officer
Lorel Donaghey
(3712) 45-54-97
lorel@silk.glas.apc.org
Director of SilkNet: PERDCA's E-mail Project
Alexei Vostrikov
(3712) 45-54-97
alexei@silk.glas.apc.org
In the United States:
Director
Chris Kedzie
(310) 452-8634
kedzie@rand.org
** For further information, please contact PERDCA's
Tashkent office. **
Furkat St. 1, Room # 60, Tashkent-27, Uzbekistan;
Tele/ Fax: (3712) 45-54-97, 45-99-52
E-mail: perdca@silk.igc.apc.org
--
Raymond "Mac" Viers
Regional Director
Project on Economic Reform and Development in Central Asia (PERDCA)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
fax./tele. (3712) 45-54-97 tele. (3712) 45-99-52
'macviers@silk.glas.apc.org'