| Officials Fined, Dismissed on Corruption Charges |
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In 2008, the Chief Prosecutor in Albania's port city of Durres resigned after an investigation uncovered nearly € 800,000 of hidden and unjustified assets. In the following weeks, extensive media coverage was given to cases involving three more officials Read More ...
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| Streamlining Pregnancy Care in Rural Armenia |
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The overall quality of prenatal care, the number of prenatal visits during pregnancy, and the timing of the first visit are universally associated with prevention of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In December 2005, Armenia's Ministry of Health (MOH) implemented national Read More ...
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| Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies in Rural Armenia |
Utilization of effective, modern contraceptive methods is very low in Armenia. Of the 53 percent of married women who report contraceptive use, just 19 percent use a modern method. Among those who do utilize contraception, failure rates are high leading to unwanted pregnancy. In fact, nearly half of the pregnancies in Armenia end by induced abortion. Rural areas report higher abortion rates (2.2. abortions per woman) Read More ...
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| Azerbaijan Takes First Steps toward Lasting Fiscal Reforms |
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The Public Expenditure Reform Support (PERS) Project in Azerbaijan is undertaking a strategic and integrated approach to public investment and budget planning. In cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Finance, and sector-line Ministries, this fiscal initiative integrates macroeconomic analysis, sector planning and budgeting, capital and recurrent expenditures, and project Read More ...
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| Women's Bar Association Jumpstarts New Year's Resolutions |
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Recently the 250 members of Azerbaijan's Women's Bar Association (WBA) - formed in 2007 and the only WBA in the Caucasus - recognized the need for a more functional organization structure to serve its current and future membership. To help the WBA, USAID's American Bar Association/Rule of Law Initiative (ABA/ROLI) held a three-day organizational development workshop for 25 WBA members. Read More ...
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| USAID Announces 2009 Community Connections Exchange Themes |
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USAID Program Project Development Officer Tamika Cameron joined partner Project Harmony in introducing the 2009 Community Connections Exchange Program themes - Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)-Muncipality Cooperation in Community Development; Traffic Safety; and Creating, Supporting and Managing Economic Think Tanks - on January 23, 2009. Read More ...
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| Libraries and Schools Stock Up on English-Language Books |
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When community leaders sought to expand the limited choice of book selections within regional community libraries and schools in Azerbaijan, they turned to USAID's Community Development Activity (CDA), implemented by Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) International.Read More ...
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| Students Take Hats (and Gloves) Off to a New School Heating System |
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The local school in the community of Bina-Khojavar in southern Azerbaijan was built in 1977, complete with a boiler heating system. Over the years, the school was forced to utilize wood stoves due to a lack of a reliable gas supply, a broken pipeline, and leaky radiators. As a result, students' health and school performance suffered. Read More ...
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| Blogging Toward Good Governance |
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Seeking to use new media to better communicate with their constituents, five Members of Parliament (MP) in Azerbaijan and their deputies turned to the USAID Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) for help. With assistance from USAID partner International and Research Exchange Board (IREX), in cooperation with partner ... Read More ...
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| Exchange Alum Puts Corporate Social Responsibility to Work |
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Through USAID's Community Connections exchange program, 157 Azerbaijani professionals and leaders have traveled to the United States to gain exposure to the U.S. free market system, cultivate public-private partnerships, and create lasting community linkages between the two countries. For each themed exchange, Community Connections provides eligible professionals from ... Read More ...
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| Anti-Corruption Centers Help Victims Take Action |
n January 2009, USAID partner Transparency Azerbaijan, in cooperation with Transparency International (TI), hosted the TI Europe and Central Asia/Pacific Regional training program in Baku. Transparency Azerbaijan shared best practices in the establishment and operation of successful Anti-corruption Advocacy and Legal Advice Centers (ALACs) with... Read More ...
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| Forum Provides Roadmap for Corporate Governance in Azerbaijan |
USAID, the World Bank Group International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Azerbaijan Ministry of Economic Development, and the Global Corporate Governance Forum hosted a three-day Corporate Governance Codes Workshop and Forum January 14 - 16, 2009 in Baku. USAID/Azerbaijan Mission Economist Dr. Paul Davis delivered opening remarks to... Read More ...
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| Entrepreneurs Welcome Fast Track Registration |
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Starting a business in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Republika Srpska region once was an arduous process. But Dušan ?igoja was pleased to find out that is no longer true.
"I was really surprised to see that there are no long lines and days of waiting required", said ?igoja, who registered his business, the only dry-cleaning service in Mrkonji? ... Read More ...
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| Walking Tour Guides Children to Fun in Famagusta |
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Exploring the outdoor museum in Famagusta, Cyprus has become even more fun, thanks to a colorful children's walking tour brochure produced by the USAID-funded Supporting Activities that Value the Environment (SAVE) project. The brochure was developed as a companion piece to the original pamphlet which highlights the old city of Famagusta's unique place... Read More ...
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| Turkish Cypriot Potato Growers Earn International Certification |
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Thanks to technical assistance and training provided by the USAID-funded Economic Development and Growth for Enterprises (EDGE) project, a Turkish Cypriot potato growers group was the first in their community to receive a GLOBALGAP certification, a protocol that sets voluntary standards, or Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), which are applied in the... Read More ...
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| Historic Preservation Serves as Model for Collaboration |
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U.S. Ambassador Frank C. Urbancic recently visited the 11th Century Church of Panayia Perghamiotissa in Akanthu/Tatlisu, Cyprus where the USAID-funded Supporting Activities that Value the Environment project (SAVE) has been working with local experts to document ...Read More ...
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| Promoting Competitiveness in the Turkish Cypriot Community |
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Following months of work aimed at elevating the discourse in the Turkish Cypriot community with regard to reform and productivity, the USAID-supported Economic Development and Growth for Enterprises (EDGE) project, together with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, held the "Promoting Competitiveness in the Turkish Cypriot Community" ,... Read More ...
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| Post-Conflict U.S. Response Aids Georgian Farmers |
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The population of Shida Kartli, which borders South Ossetia, bore the brunt of damage from Georgia's 2008 conflict with Russia. Many farmers lost their entire crop as they fled their homes for safety during the August harvest season. As a result, these farmers lost their only opportunity... Read More ...
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| Tax Registration Reforms a Dream Come True for Entrepreneurs |
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Disorder, delay, and confusion were common practices when Georgians tried to register to do business legally. Bribery was one common way to cut through the chaos; another was to stay in the shadow and avoid registration altogether. "One-window" service has reduced the time required to register to do business in Georgia from days to minutes. A series of reforms i... Read More ...
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| Better Access to Safe Water |
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Improved access to safe water supply for at least 85,000 Kosovo citizens is the target of USAID's new water and sanitation program, launched with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on January 30, 2009. The MOU formalizes the partnership between USAID's Small Infrastructure for Water and Sanitation Program and Regional Water Companies in four... Read More ...
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| Kosovo Celebrates Law Day |
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Kosovo celebrated its first annual Law Day on January 16, 2009. Celebrated in many countries around the world, the purpose of Law Day is to acknowledge the importance of laws and justice as the foundation of a democratic state. The Kosovo celebration also remembered and honored... Read More ...
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| With U.S. Support, Kavadarci Music School Plays On |
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The Rale music school, established in 1970, is a unique institution providing high caliber musical training for over 400 primary students in Kavadarci, Macedonia, a city known as a seed-bed for musical talent. By 2007, however, the school's rundown facility was slated for closure. Through the efforts ... Read More ...
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| Beslan Project Engages Children in Community Development |
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January 2009 marked the conclusion of a USAID Community Development Support Program-funded project which engaged Beslan schoolchildren-including survivors of the 2004 terrorist attack-in improving their community. The project, "Beslan: Light, Warmth and Kindness," included a series of activities that engaged local children in development. School #8 organized ... Read More ...
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| USAID Supports Independent Radio Festival in Tyumen |
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On January 30-February 1, 2009, more than 60 journalists and managers from independent radio stations across the Urals gathered in Tyumen, Russia for the annual USAID-funded Together Radio festival. Radio stations competed for prizes in the categories of daily newscast, talk show, reporting, thematic program, and cultural events program..Read More ...
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| American Volunteerism Impresses Russian Health Specialists |
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From November 29-December 21, 2008, seven Russian health specialists met with U.S. counterparts through the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on "Sharing Best Practices in Maternal and Child Health and Welfare." USAID proposed the concept for the program and five of the participants are actively involved in USAID programs. Read More ...
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| USAID Forms Development Alliance with TBN Media |
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On January 20, 2009, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in St. Petersburg by TBN Media Group President Igor Nikitin and USAID/Russia Mission Director Skip Waskin for an initiative to raise Russian public awareness about social issues through the creation and broadcasting of public service announcements. The U.S. Consul General in St. Petersburg, Sheila Gwaltney, ... Read More ...
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| 2009 University Admissions to be More Transparent in Ukraine |
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In spring 2008, 460,000 students took new standardized university admissions exams on a variety of subjects for the first time in Ukraine. In years past, each university and college had administered its own admissions exams, a process that had become highly corrupt in recent years. Read More ...
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| Transparent Judicial Enforcement Reduces Corruption |
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At the Pechersk District Division of the State Enforcement Service (SES) in Kyiv, Ukraine, State Enforcement Officer Natalia Kvasniuk glances at a large file on her desk, enters a web site, and then types in a case number in a small box that appears on her computer screen. Read More ...
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| Journalists Recognized for Best Investigative Reporting |
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Investigative reporting remains an underutilized tool in Ukraine today. Publications or
TV programs mainly cover political news of the day and rarely contain profound analysis of the situation. When they do present analysis or conduct investigations, these are often highly subjective.
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| Ukrainian Officials Learn From U.S. Internal Investigation Units |
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The ten representatives of Ukraine's Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Ministry of
Interior, and the State Customs Service recently returned from a U.S. study tour where they learned about the work of independent Internal Investigations Units (also known in the U.S. as Inspectors General Offices), ready to implement best practices they observed.
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