Assistance to Kyrgyz Republic

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

July 9, 2010

The United States is deeply concerned about developments in the Kyrgyz Republic and supports domestic and international efforts to restore peace and maintain ethnic harmony. The United States closely coordinates the provision of humanitarian assistance with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations.

The United States intends to provide approximately $36 million to programs for humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and community stabilization to aid those affected by the crisis, including refugees in Uzbekistan who have now returned to the Kyrgyz Republic.

These funds will be directed to meeting immediate humanitarian needs, providing assistance to displaced and returning families, and addressing the roots of the conflict through community development and conflict mitigation programs in the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Assistance Provided to Date:

• $15.1 million was mobilized for immediate assistance to the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic and rapid community improvement and stabilization projects throughout the country.
• $5.85 million was provided for immediate expenditure on community improvement and stabilization projects, including a broad range of community defined projects that may include construction of small scale infrastructure, assistance to improve government operations, employment opportunities, and skills training for disenfranchised populations in the Kyrgyz Republic.
• $3.1 million was provided to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Agency for Cooperation and Technical Development, and Save the Children Federation to respond to the urgent need for water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, food, clothing, shelter, medicine, medical supplies and logistics and communications assistance. $100,000 was delivered as an initial response to the refugee crisis in Uzbekistan and the IDP situation in the Kyrgyz Republic.
• As part of the immediate response, $217,000 in medical and relief supplies from the U.S. Government’s Pre-Staged Disaster Package in Bishkek has been delivered to hospitals in Osh and Jalal-Abad. An additional $386,146 in medical supplies and relief items was provided to hospitals and victims of the violence through the U.S. Government’s humanitarian assistance program.
• The U.S. Government executed a humanitarian airlift of critically needed medicines and medical supplies valued at $2.75 million. The cost of this airlift was $195,875. These items were distributed to hospitals in the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic treating victims of the violence.
• In addition, the U.S. provided $213,500 to support the shipment of UNICEF emergency relief supplies valued at $301,729 to Andijan, Uzbekistan. These items were initially intended to serve refugees in Uzbekistan, most of whom have since returned to the Kyrgyz Republic. Much of the shipment has been transported to the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic to which the refugees have returned.
• The U.S. has provided $2.2 million to the International Committee for the Red Cross for relief efforts in the Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan, and obligated $1 million to support UNHCR activities in the Kyrgyz Republic.
• The Interagency Civilian Response Corps is deploying a ten-person stabilization team of U.S. Government personnel to assist with immediate crisis response and on-going stabilization requirements surrounding the referendum and Parliamentary elections.
• Additional expert disaster mitigation staff is currently in Bishkek to work with U.N. agencies, NGOs and U.S. Government representatives, to identify emergency needs, and to coordinate relief efforts with the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek and the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent.

Planned Assistance:

• $1.5 million for projects that support strong democratic processes and institutions, human rights protections, and an engaged civil society.
• $1 million to supplement supplies of fertilizers, fuel and other inputs this summer to help safeguard the fall harvest in the Kyrgyz Republic.
• Up to an additional $1.8 million in support of ICRC/UNHCR humanitarian appeals in response to the crisis.

Secretary of Defense Gates has authorized the Department of Defense to support humanitarian assistance in the Kyrgyz Republic with the provision of medical and relief supplies and transportation of humanitarian relief personnel through the Manas Transit Center.

These commitments are in addition to the United States’ ongoing annual assistance programs.