Turkmenistan: The modern village as a countrywide model of local governance

Citizens in villages lead development of their community

Grade nine student Annayeva Ashirgul and her 320 classmates now go to school full time.

Before their new school was built in the village of Belek in December 2012, students would go to school in shifts. The old school could not accommodate all the children at the same time, and was in need of major repairs.  

"Classes in the second shift affected the quality of Ashirgul’s learning and organization of her educational process as a whole," says Ashirgul’s mother, Annayeva Bayramgul.

"As any other child, she wanted to have rest from school in the evening, enjoy the company of friends and family, and morning time was never enough for doing school homework."

Share your ideas and join our social innovation camp for human rights

Winners of Mardamej, social innovation camp in Armenia

Do you want to change the world? If you are from Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine, and have an idea for promoting human rights and justice, share it by 20 May.

If your idea is selected, we’ll get you to Yerevan, Armenia, for HuriLab, our social innovation camp happening 28 to 30 June.

Human Rights Day 2012: Countries push each other to protect human rights

As part of the ‘Your voice is important,’ campaign, active citizens in Ukraine ask people online and on the street what they think of the situation of human rights in Ukraine

For the last four years, countries around the globe have been reviewing each other’s human rights records. This process is known as the universal periodic review, which started in 2008.

It is the only global human rights mechanism based on peer review and full national ownership.

During the Review, countries are invited to ask questions, seek clarifications, praise or criticize human rights policies of the country under review, and make recommendations to improve their human rights situation. Governments then follow up on agreed upon recommendations.

UNDP is working with national partners in the region as they follow up on recommendations made by other countries to improve human rights in their respective countries.

Georgia: Democracy and the media

Analysts on "Media Monitor" discussing the media in the run up to elections

TBILISI, Georgia – 19 September – Every Monday, a talk show called "Media Monitor" airs on Georgian public television. The show shares information collected during media monitoring, and invites civil society and media experts to analyse the findings.

Moldova: Community-led development means better quality of life

CHISINAU, Moldova - 22 May, 2012 - For the first time in his life, 76 year-old Mihai Druta does not have to carry water 1.5 kilometres to his house. He now has his own water supply in his home, a sewer system, and garbage is collected regularly in his neighbourhood.

“It's a change that makes our life easier,” said Mihai Druta. “The price is reasonable and the service is good."

Four years ago, public services were a luxury for most residents of Telenesti, a town of 9,000 people, whose water supply and sewer systems had not been repaired in 20 years.

In response, the local government teamed up with community members to prioritize the most pressing development needs and come up with projects to address them.

2012: A milestone for access to justice in Montenegro

PODGORICA, Montenegro – 9 January, 2012 – In an effort to provide equal access to justice for all, Montenegro opened its first legal aid office.

"Opening of the first legal aid office is important in the overall judicial system, because it provides equal access to justice for all, regardless of financial or social status," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Duško Marković.

Passing the baton of democracy in Kyrgyzstan

by Kori Udovički

24 October, 2011 - Presidential elections will be held on 30 October in the Kyrgyz Republic—a poor, landlocked country in post-Soviet Central Asia. This vote will be Central Asia’s first presidential election in which the incumbent faithfully respected a fundamentally democratic constitution.  

Breaking down barriers in Ukraine: Civil society champions rights of people with disabilities

KYIV, Ukraine – 10 October, 2011 – Civil society organizations have been working closely with local authorities in Ukraine to make sure that people with disabilities can exercise their rights to education, transport, infrastructure, public health, social support and employment.

What's it like to live with a disability?

BELGRADE, Serbia – 11 July, 2011 – Meet photographer Djordje Jovic, who takes us on a photo tour of a nursing home for adults with disabilities in Serbia. See: slideshow

All photos and captions by Djordje Jovic, technical support Jelena Vukovic, Serbia, 2011

Cleaning up toxic past, Montenegro town pioneers a green economy

MOJKOVAC, Montenegro – 31 January 2011 – After two decades in the toxic shadow of a closed lead and zinc mine, a small town in northern Montenegro is seeding a greener future as it cleans up an industrial dump and restores its pristine natural surroundings. Watch: video See: photos from Mojkovac

Kyrgyzstan: Community development helping to provide local services during harsh winter

NARYN, Kyrgyzstan – 17 January 2011 – Communities helped improve local health and education services in the villages of Kuybishev, Uchkun and Kazybek in Naryn Province. See: Photos from new kindergarten, heated health centre, power station, and the work it took to build them

FYR Macedonia: Municipalities partnering to better serve communities

SKOPJE, FYR Macedonia – 11 January, 2011– Zlatko Acevski is a 23-year old electrical engineer from Petrovec, a rural municipality on the outskirts of Skopje. When he decided to start his own business, he attended a training session on entrepreneurship, organized jointly by the municipalities of Petrovec and Zelenikovo, and was able to access essential information on how to apply for funds.

Georgia: Criminal justice reform - one man's story

TBILISI, Georgia - 3 January, 2011 - "I spent a year in jail, falsely accused because I could not afford a lawyer. If it hadn't been for free legal aid, I guess I would still be in jail, even though I did not commit the crime I was accused of," said Kakha Kisishvili. See: Photos from refugee centres and legal aid offices Watch: Kakha Kisihvili's story on CNN Tell us: what you think

Управление границами, ЕС и ПРООН

Филип Пирс                                                   English/Aнглийский

13 декабря 2010 - Управление границами превратилось в значимое направление внешней помощи, оказываемой Европейским cоюзом, а также важную область сотрудничества между государствами-членами ЕС, Европейской комиссией и ООН, особенно при реализации проектов в странах бывшего Советского Союза (БСС). Финансирование поступает из бюджетных линий ЕС, посвященных внедрению региональных политических стратегий, таких как Европейская программа соседства и Центрально-Азиатская стратегия. Управление границами также стало одним из главных направлений межстрановых программ ООН в этом регионе.

Border management, the EU, and UNDP

Philip Peirce                                                                Русский/Russian

13 December 2010 - Border management has become a significant line of external assistance for the European Union, and for cooperation between member states, the European Commission, and the UN, particularly in the former Soviet Union (FSU). The funding comes from European Commission budget lines devoted to implementation of regional political strategies,such as the European Neighbourhood Programme and the Central Asia Strategy

International Human Rights Day 2010: A look at human rights in Europe and CIS

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 10 December 2010 – "Human rights are the foundation of freedom, peace, development and justice – and the heart of the work of the United Nations around the world," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his statement on Human Rights Day 2010. Learn: About human rights in Europe and CIS Watch: video on human rights defenders Share: What did you do for Human Rights Day?

Moldova: Elections go hi-tech, include Moldovans abroad and visually impaired

CHISINAU, Moldova – 3 December 2010 – Moldovan citizens, including a record number of those living abroad, cast their votes during early parliamentary elections on 28 November. This year’s voter turnout was higher than any other previous elections. Watch: campaign video encouraging people to vote View: photos from election day

Kazakhstan: Honouring the public's right to know

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 5 October 2010 – In a recent survey, over 70 percent of respondents said that it is impossible to access information from the state on certain issues. The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is responding with a new law on access to public information.

A BRIDGE for Democracy in Turkmenistan

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 19 May 2010—Turkmenistan’s continued its progress toward transparent elections with a five-day training of regional election officials. The training is a part of a United Nations Development Programme project to help Turkmenistan nurture an ongoing democratic culture.

 

'One-Stop Shopping' for Public Services Makes Life Easier in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 23 April 2010-Mansur, a potential entrepreneur, hopes to open a small bakery, a place where his wife could make and sell her specialty, the Uzbek bread, patir. Mansur’s neighbor Karima lives alone in a small apartment. Though small, her flat requires her to pay communal utility fees, such as gas, water, electricity and telephone. Both Mansur and Karima face several logistical and bureaucratic hurdles in achieving their respective goals. View: One-stop Shopping in Uzbekistan photos