Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASHGABAT1098
2007-10-11 04:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

UNITED NATIONS REVIEWS RECENT GOVERNMENT REQUESTS FOR

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM EAID KDEM UN TX 
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INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1809
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0591
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001098 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID KDEM UN TX
SUBJECT: UNITED NATIONS REVIEWS RECENT GOVERNMENT REQUESTS FOR
ASSISTANCE IN DONOR MEETING


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001098

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID KDEM UN TX
SUBJECT: UNITED NATIONS REVIEWS RECENT GOVERNMENT REQUESTS FOR
ASSISTANCE IN DONOR MEETING



1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: In an October 8 donor meeting organized by the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP),Turkmenistan Resident
Representative Richard Young provided an update on recent United
Nations' activity, and outlined the proposed UN system's support to
the Government of Turkmenistan's agenda for reform. In response to
invitations by the Government of Turkmenistan, the UN has identified
six priority areas of support: electoral reform, human rights,
economic reform, education, information and communication
technology, and local governance. Although availability of funding
to accomplish these ambitious plans was not addressed in the
meeting, Young said that UNDP hopes to enter discussions with the
government in early 2008 to modify the current 2005-2009 UN
Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF),which guides its current
activities. Since several of the proposed areas overlap with
requests received by other donors active in Turkmenistan and this
meeting offered limited opportunity for discussions about how
organizations might avoid duplication, future coordination and clear
communication will remain critical. END SUMMARY.

SIX PRIORITY AREAS OF SUPPORT TO GOVERNMENT'S REFORM AGENDA


3. (U) The Government of Turkmenistan has invited the UN system to
support its reform efforts in a variety of areas. In an October 8
donor coordination meeting organized by UNDP and attended by
representatives of most embassies and donor organizations active in
the country, Resident Representative Young distributed a paper, "UN
System Support to the Government of Turkmenistan's Agenda for
Reform," that formalized a single UN response to the government's
proposals. The paper outlined the scope of action in six priority
areas and identified possible forms of cooperation through the UN
agencies active in Turkmenistan.


4. (U) For election reforms, it received a request to support the
development of a professional electoral body that can supervise the
upcoming regional people's council and parliamentary elections.

Specifically, the UN has been requested to review national
legislation on elections in line with international best practices,
build the capacity of the Central Election Commission, and train
local officials involved in carrying out elections. These requests
overlap with similar government requests made to OSCE, and Young
stressed that the UN will have to cooperate with others involved in
these activities.


5. (U) Young believed that one of the most significant developments
to date had been the request to support the government in its
strengthening of human ights institutions and its ability to
respond to treaty obligations. Proposed areas for future
collaboration include strengthening national capacities to follow-up
on Concluding Observations and Reporting to Treaty Bodies; support
towards ratification of new human rights' conventions; building
capacity among government bodies working on human rights issues; and
raising awareness of human rights among the general population, in
schools and higher education institutions.


6. (U) Economic reforms need to address a range of challenges, and
current high energy prices provide a window of opportunity to
diversify the economy and to move towards more sustainable
practices. The UNDP has been asked to work with the government to
build capacity in the following areas: macroeconomic analysis and
forecasting, improved management of state property, private-sector
development, public administration reform, pension reform,
introducing international accounting standards, and increased
investment in the social sector through medium-term budgetary
framework. Young acknowledged that, while the above areas have been
touched on in various meetings, the UN is awaiting a specific
proposal from the Ministry of Economy and Finance before it can
proceed. Once received, it plans to recruit a senior consultant to
provide long-term technical assistance to the ministry.

ASHGABAT 00001098 002 OF 002




7. (U) UNICEF Representative Mahboob Shareef said that "quality of
education" is the most important area for focus, so that the new
generation is prepared for the needs of an emerging market.
Recognizing that reform of the education system represents one of
the greatest challenges, since it involves capacity building at
different levels of the system, Shareef suggested that the
government needs to adopt a comprehensive approach to educational
reform, and that UNICEF was prepared to assist in this effort. In
response to a question from the Kyrgyz Ambassador to Turkmenistan
regarding what a "comprehensive approach" would entail, Shareef
clarified that although the government has stated its vision for
education reform, it has yet to share the goals or objectives of the
reforms. Furthermore, no clear leader had been identified within
the government to carry the reform process forward.


8. (U) In spite of high-profile calls for increased access to
Internet in Turkmenistan, the public and state and private
enterprises still have very limited access. Investment in
information and communication technologies could provide a powerful
injection for economic reform and accelerate progress in educational
reforms. The UN is prepared to provide normative frameworks to
increase the role of the private sector, prevent abuse of new
communication technologies, and tackle cyber crime.


9. (U) Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested UNDP's
support to improve public-services delivery to rural areas. The
responsibility for developing local government capacity resides with
Turkmenistan's Parliament, while provincial governors are
responsible for service delivery, so UNDP has been requested to
partner with Parliament and local-government structures to assist in
building capacities to support rural economic planning and community
development, training vulnerable groups to respond to social
disparities and communities' needs, and building capacity in
budgeting and expenditure tracking at the local level.


11. (U) Although availability of funding to accomplish these
ambitious plans was not addressed in the meeting, Young told USAID
Representative afterwards that the UN hopes to enter discussions
with the government in early 2008 to modify the current 2005-2009 UN
Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF),which guides its current
activities. He did not expect this to be a time-consuming process,
given the existing requests from the government.


10. (SBU) COMMENT: The UN-organized donor meeting was the first
formal meeting of its kind in several months in Ashgabat. Given
limited direct information about the UN's plans for increased
support for the government's reform agenda, the level of attendance
reflected the high interest of embassies and donor organizations in
learning more about its intentions. Several of the proposed areas
of engagement overlap with requests received by other donors active
in Turkmenistan, but time constraints limited the opportunity for
detailed discussions about how organizations might work together or
avoid duplication. Future coordination events and clear
communication among donor organizations will remain critical. END
COMMENT.

HOAGLAND