The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has started a new project called USAID’s Local Development Initiative (LDI). LDI is one of the many assistance projects made possible by the American people through USAID.

      Since 1992, the American people through USAID have provided more than $500 million in programs that support Kazakhstan’s democratic institutions, social sector, and economic growth. LDI runs from 1 October 2009 until 30 September 2012 and covers four countries – Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The project’s central office is located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and it has country representative offices in Almaty, Ashgabat, and (in the near future) Tashkent.

USAID’s Local Development Initiative

The main objective of LDI is to build the capacity of local governments, in communication and collaboration with constituents, to provide improved local government service delivery and governance. LDI’s efforts will be focused on the implementation of the following tasks:

• Improving the legislative and regulatory environment for local government;
• Building local government capacity;
• Helping local governments provide improved services to the population; and
• Helping local governments facilitate citizen involvement in their planning and decision-making.

      LDI will assist the Government of Kazakhstan in improving the policy, legislative and regulatory environment for local government, service delivery, and citizen participation. For example, this may include the framework for decentralization of housing and communal services management and the harmonization of laws that regulate the budgeting and financial management process at the local government level.

      In Kazakhstan, LDI will work in five selected raions and in three selected Selskyi Okrugs in each raion. The raion selection process is being carried out in consultation with local authorities and USAID. LDI will pay special attention to supporting the implementation of the Law “On local governance and local self-governance in the Republic of Kazakhstan”; training Maslikhat deputies on local government theory and practice and deputies’ roles and responsibilities; and training local government officials on budget preparation and implementation, service delivery and other key local government functions. LDI will also assist raion Akimat and Maslikhat officials in the preparation of strategic development and service delivery plans, with public participation, and in linking these plans to local government budgets.

      LDI will also conduct workshops and training for participating raion and selskyi okrug officials on project management and implementation, including preparation of detailed feasibility studies and environmental assessments. Project participants will be supported in preparation of feasibility and environmental impact studies for small-scale infrastructure projects identified for national and/or local government funding.

      This information is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.