Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance: Turkmenistan

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Coordinator's Office Annual Reports» U.S. Embassy Website» www.foreignassistance.gov»

ASSISTANCE GOALS: U.S. Government (USG) assistance focuses on improved governance, border security, strengthening health systems, and improving the economic climate for private-sector development.

AREAS OF FOCUS:

Peace and Security (P&S)

• Enhance border security to limit proliferation of narcotics and WMD material
• Guide law enforcement and security officials in anti-terrorism programs
• Support Ministry of Internal Affairs in updating and maintaining forensics regulations and procedures for criminal procedures

Governing Justly and Democratically (GJD)

• Strengthen capacity of various sectors of the justice system to build rule of law and accountability
• Increase access to public information
• Strengthen the capacity of sub-national governments and executive bodies to provide more effective services
• Assist the Government of Turkmenistan and civil society actors in their efforts to respond to the problem of human trafficking through prevention and protection activities

Investing in People (IIP)

• Improve the provision of medical services related to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, primary health care, and maternal and child health. Work to increase opportunities for students to pursue higher education

Economic Growth (EG)

• Build institutional capacity for budget planning and management
• Promote financial sector reform as a key component of transition to free-market economy
• Support development of market mechanisms and infrastructural reforms to best utilize natural resources

RECENT SUCCESSES:

• The USG capacity building assistance to the State Counter Narcotics Service (SCNS) resulted in improved interdiction skills of the officers trained and an increase in the seizure of narcotics. According to the SCNS statistics, the largest single Turkmen opium seizure ever, over 230 kilos, was seized in July, and over 600 kilos of drugs were seized in the first six months of 2010.
• USG assistance provided through the U.N Office of Drugs and Crime, contributed to anti-trafficking in persons efforts. As a result of this assistance, the Penal Code of Turkmenistan was amended to make human trafficking a criminal offense, punishable with a minimum of four and maximum of 25 years of imprisonment.
• Numerous grants to NGO projects were completed, which included civic-responsibility projects that reached over 900 youth, projects to support small-business development in rural areas, projects to assist rural teachers develop skills and create community-based school projects, projects for people with disabilities, an English language project that reached over 200 youth, a project on developing a multiparty system, and a project to develop citizen journalists.
• USG assistance helped promote information and communication technologies in higher education. The USG opened the Internet Center for Interactive Media Learning (ICIML) and a technical support room (TSR). The ICIML provided training to 312 individuals from higher education institutions and internet access to 471 individuals.

*This fact sheet does not reflect Peace Corps funding or centrally managed or regional Foreign Operations funding that is not specifically budgeted for Turkmenistan.