The UN Ferghana Valley Development Programme

Statement of Vision, n.d.

Building a Valley of Harmony and Prosperity

Why the Ferghana Valley Development Programme is needed

• The Ferghana Valley is critical region for Central Asia as a whole, and what happens in the Ferghana Valley—for better or worse—has widespread ramifications for the region as a whole.
• The Ferghana Valley is a potential source for regional instability, due to its ethnic diversity, the highly concentrated and growing population including a high percentage of youth, high rates of unemployment and widespread economic stress, complex borders in a region occupied by parts of three newly sovereign states, and its recent history of tensions.
• Within the Ferghana Valley, three states have territories which are closely inter-linked and the borders between them cross-cut transportation routes, population groups and economic resources, and so resolution of common problems requires close collaboration which has often been absent since independence.

Why the United Nations has a special role to play in the Ferghana Valley

• In recent years, especially following such disasters as in Yugoslavia, there has been increasing awareness that it is important that the United Nations take actions to avert problems and strife before they arise.
• As the representative body of the countries of the world, the United Nations is uniquely positioned to foster cooperation between the countries of the Ferghana Valley, in that it has developed strong relations with each country through concrete activities on the ground and it holds a degree of authority enjoyed by no other international organization.
• The activities of the various UN agencies in these countries represent a broad spectrum of development initiatives which, if well coordinated, can reinforce one another in building toward the goal of harmony and prosperity in the Ferghana Valley.

Guiding Principles of the Ferghana Valley Development Programme:

• The FVDP operates solely in the interest of the several countries of the Valley and their populations; all activities to be undertaken must be in accordance with the common interests of these countries.
• Implementation will be led through a close cooperation between the UNDP in each country and national partners (probably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the primary partner in each case), at the same time giving prominence to role of key partners including the various UN agencies, various governmental institutions, and others.
• The FVDP employs a participatory approach, drawing on the knowledge, expertise and initiative of the general population, and local organizations including governments, NGOs, private enterprises, and the community based organizations such as mahallas and ayïl ökmötüs which have deep roots in community traditions.
• The FVDP takes a regional approach, addressing those issues which cannot effectively be addressed exclusively within the framework of a single nation, as well as treating the diversity of resources, issues and experience across the region as a valuable resource which offers opportunities not had within a single country.
• While working regionally, the FVDP will show the greatest respect for the sovereignty and national interests of each country, and where appropriate, will pursue implementation on a national basis. In such cases, the regional dimension will be reflected in that similar programmes may be pursued in several countries, and they will share experience and support one another where possible and appropriate. All activity in each country will be coordinated through a national coordination office located in the Ferghana Valley portion of that country.
• The development problems of the Ferghana Valley represent a wide range of complexity, and by employing a phased approach, the FVDP will address first relatively simple problems through pilot projects and draw on the experience and institutional framework built in this context to address more difficult issues as appropriate in later phases of the Programme.
• The FVDP will operate with a modular approach, drawing on the opportunities to collaborate with various UN agencies and other partners in particular initiatives. Collaborating agencies will benefit from the FVDP's regional network and expertise, and gain added impact to their initiatives by coordination with activities in other realms. To the degree appropriate for the given initiative, Programme Components will be financed and implemented independently. In terms of timing, some modular elements of the Programme will proceed outside of the framework of the general phasing of the Programme, inasmuch as they depend on funding cycles and project development in the framework of various UN agencies. Furthermore, it will be possible to proceed with certain Programme Components as conditions become suitable and the Programme must maintain flexibility to accommodate such opportunities.
• A key to the strength of the FVDP will be its ability to effectively coordinate a spectrum of initiatives across a diverse region; for this, the FVDP will build a strong participatory network and provide crucial information resources to its partners.

How the Ferghana Valley Development Programme will build Harmony and Prosperity in the Valley:

The key to harmony in the Ferghana Valley is alleviating the conditions which could lead—and indeed have led in the past—to tensions. The most important such conditions relate to key problems that detract from the well-being of the population:

• The Economy
  : Economic well-being and civil harmony are closely inter-linked. The single most important source of tension is economic hardship and associated issues such as perceptions of inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities, obstacles to economic activity, and disputed access to key resources.
  • The FVDP will work to improve economic conditions in the region—especially in areas where conditions are comparatively difficult—through such initiatives as support to small and medium enterprises through business support services and credit assistance, and grants to infrastructure development projects initiated at the local level.
  • The FVDP will facilitate the establishment or improvement of mechanisms to resolve issues of access to resources and overcoming obstacles to private economic initiatives.
• Culture and Education
  : A key to harmony is mutual understanding. During Soviet times, insufficient attention was given to the culture and history of this region, and the FVDP will work to help rectify this problem.
  • The FVDP will promote the consciousness of both the historical and cultural commonalties and the diversity of the population in the region through programs which reach a very broad population. This may take the form of support for the development and production of history and social studies textbooks on the history of the three countries and their peoples for use in schools.
  • The FVDP may also support training of teachers in curriculum for fostering secular civic consciousness and social harmony.
  • The FVDP will support the creation of information resource centers and cultural activities which promote the dissemination of knowledge and understanding of the commonalties and diversity of the region, including such initiatives as regional cultural festivals, exchanges between universities in the region, and establishment of a center for the study and promotion of oral traditional culture.
• The Environment
  : The fates of the people of the Ferghana Valley are intertwined in an environment which knows no boundaries. Effective approaches to the environmental issues, which undermine prosperity and social wellbeing, require cooperation.
  • The FVDP will seek to address the high-profile problems such as the deteriorating nuclear waste dumps in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which threaten catastrophic contamination of the water supply of the entire region.
  • The FVDP will work to address environmental issues of everyday urgency, such as the supply of healthy drinking water, erosion resulting from over-grazing which leads to soil deterioration, mud-slides and flooding, and rationalization of irrigation practices to avoid rising water tables and the salinization of soils.
  • The FVDP may promote cooperation in the development of systems to avoid natural disasters and to cope with them when they occur.
• Border Issues
  : The boundaries between sovereign states play an important role in regulating the economic and administrative life of a region. Harmony and prosperity in the region require that such boundaries constitute as little impediment as possible for appropriate and legal activities in the economic and social life of the region while performing their necessary regulatory function.
  • The FVDP will work to make border controls as comprehensible as possible for those who have legitimate needs to cross the borders and transport goods across them.
  • The FVDP will work to alleviate difficulties which have arisen in the lives of the Valley's population in connection with the new roles that borders play following independence, and to facilitate exchanges which support social and economic well-being in the Valley.

How the Ferghana Valley Development Programme will coordinate activities

The FVDP will adopt an Area Development Framework approach. The organization of the programme will accommodate the diversity of tasks, the diversity of conditions in the several countries, and the variety of organizations which will be engaged in project implementation.

• The FVDP will have a Programme Office in each of the countries which will share the responsibility for coordination of the Programme overall. No country will have a comprehensive lead role in Programme coordination, though for certain programme tasks, a given Programme Office may serve a coordinating role.
• Associated with these Programme Offices will be certain activities, such as the information centers, business resource centers, curriculum development programmes, and other activities which are aimed to impact the region broadly in a range of sectors.
• Within each national unit, many of the activities of the Programme will be organized through national implementation, though project design, experience, resources, and consultants will be shared. For example, in the implementation of support to small and medium enterprises, a general project design will be employed in each national framework, though it will be adjusted to accommodate the needs and conditions of each country.
• Other FVDP activities of a more problem-specific nature will be organized on a modular basis, based in separate implementation units under the aegis of particular UN agencies. For example, a separate unit will be devoted to the problem of nuclear waste, operating independently, though with support from the coordination units.