Feature story

EBRD meeting puts focus on Central Asia, NGOs

The EBRD’s 12th annual meeting was an achievement in putting the focus on Central Asia and in bringing non-governmental organizations together for open dialogue with the Bank, government, business guests and the media, says EBRD President Jean Lemierre.

“We are used to very open debate among officials and the business community,” said Lemierre at his closing press conference Monday. “We had a specific goal this year to open the debate to civil society. We have achieved quite a lot. The number of representatives (228) of civil society is the highest we’ve ever had at an annual meeting. Most of them were from Central Asia. I had very good and useful discussions with NGOs. All of them warmly welcomed the meeting here in Tashkent”, capital of the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan.

“Here in Central Asia and Uzbekistan we are at a new frontier of transition,” said Mr Lemierre. He explained the presidents of the four Central Asian republics and their officials had repeatedly heard messages regarding the political and economic transition necessary to move toward market economies and democracy. Particular concerns were human rights, cross-border trade and other aspects of regional cooperation.

Only one way to defeat poverty

Said Lemierre: “There is only one efficient way to combat poverty and improve the situation and that is to be open to ideas, to open borders and trade, to attract investment and, step-by-step, improve the situation. That is the clear lesson” learned by the EBRD after 12 years working toward transition in the states of the former soviet bloc.

In particular he was encouraged by the outcome of a lunch with the four regional presidents. They discussed the need to open their common borders to trade, and improve cooperation in the politically tense region. “President Karimov said last night…without the EBRD the heads of state would not have met together.”

He noted that Uzbekistan has a year to demonstrate progress, to be assessed against seven benchmarks established in the latest EBRD Country Strategy for Uzbekistan. Among these political and economic benchmarks is the requirement that Uzbekistan implement the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture who said the country’s leadership must publicly condemn torture.

Benchmark on eliminating torture unfulfilled

Contrary to some expectations, Uzbek President Islam Karimov did not condemn torture in his speech at the EBRD Board of Governors meeting Sunday. “What we have heard does not meet the conditions for fulfillment of the benchmarks the Board of the Bank has made public,” said Mr. Lemierre Monday. But, he told the media, after the Board meeting Mr Karimov said he would invite the Special Rapporteur to return to Uzbekistan to prepare implementation of the report.

Lemierre said significant reforms would permit Uzbekistan could unlock its considerable economic potential, which the EBRD would like to develop along with private investors. As it is, EBRD involvement is restricted in the country due to the political situation and focused in small and medium enterprise financing, and in public programmes for district heating and safe water.

In attending seminars during the annual meeting some Uzbek officials heard impassioned statements from NGO representatives about imprisoned and executed relatives, child labour, torture and women driven to suicide by desperate economic circumstances.

Concerns about the safety of these people once the EBRD returns to its London headquarters were addressed by the President: “This has been a place of freedom and free speech, and they have made use of this opportunity. Nobody should be harassed because they have spoken freely. I have agreed with some ambassadors (based in Tashkent) to have very close monitoring of the situation and if there were any incident – and I cannot imagine worse than this – we would be very clear as to what we think about it. I have made clear commitments in this regard and they will have to be respected.” The Bank’s NGO liaison office and Tashkent resident office will also monitor NGOs in the country, he said.

Investment depends on transition

Should Uzbekistan fail to demonstrate a positive transition trend, “there is a range of options” available to the Bank, the President said. These range from increasing investment, to reducing investment as has been done in Turkmenistan and Belarus.

“My favourite option, of course, is to move forward if there is progress and we will be able to support that.”

5 May 2003