Regional Overview CENTRAL ASIA

Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

R ecent Developments Local settlement projects commenced this year The issue of transit through Uzbekistan of Ta- for Tajiks wishing to settle in Kyrgyzstan and jiks repatriating from Turkmenistan was suc- Turkmenistan. Details are provided below. cessfully resolved in early 2000. As repatriation movements, which are by train, could not re- The promotion of refugee legislation and the sume before the onset of the summer period, it training of government officials remain a high is anticipated that they will start again in Sep- objective in Central Asia. A description of the tember. activities implemented in this area is included below. Meanwhile, repatriation from other countries (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) was suspended in Emergency preparedness in the region has March at the request of the Government of Ta- been on the agenda of several UN agencies, es- jikistan. This followed incidents in the Shaar- pecially in view of instability in the Ferghana tuz area when returnees from Kyrgyzstan de- Valley. UNHCR participated in inter-agency manded the return of housing that had appar- meetings on the issue in New York and in Al- ently been sold legally prior to their departure. maty. UNHCR also conducted an emergency Although an agreement was subsequently preparedness and contingency planning work- reached with the Tajik authorities on a system shop in Dushanbe in early May, with participa- of prior screening of potential returnees, to tion from all offices in the region and from the date repatriation movements have not re- Emergency Preparedness and Response Section sumed. Negotiations are continuing on the is- in Headquarters, and governmental counter- sue, and UNHCR has appealed to the Govern- parts. The workshop resulted in updated con- ment to allow the resumption of repatriation. tingency plans in the region. For this reason, the total number of returnees to Tajikistan during the first six months of the Following a request by UNHCR in 1999, an year was 477 persons, much lower than antici- international NGO fielded an NGO co- pated. ordinator, who will work closely with UNHCR and with implementing partners in Central During the early part of the year, an allocation Asia. His main objective will be to train NGOs from the Operational Reserve was made to as- in emergency preparedness and response. sist some 6,500 Chechens who had arrived in Kazakhstan as a result of the war in Chechnya. Since then, the number has risen. At present, A ctivities until 30 June an estimated 10,000 Chechens are in the coun- UNHCR’s global funding situation is having try. an impact on the implementation of pro- grammes in Central Asia, and offices have had A review of UNHCR staffing in the region re- to prioritise their activities. If this situation sulted in the discontinuation of several posts, continues in the second half of the year, pro- including three regional posts. grammes and administrative budgets will be subjected to further reductions. This will have an adverse impact on the ability of country of- S trategic Objectives: Progress and Constraints fices to achieve their objectives for the year. The repatriation of Tajik refugees was not pos- sible in the first half of the year. It is hoped The arrival in Kazakhstan of some 10,000 that continuing negotiations will enable repa- Chechens, mostly women and children, fleeing triation to resume. the war in Chechnya was the most important

UNHCR Mid-Year Report 2000 - Page 150 - Regional Overview new development. The amount released from January, UNHCR provided comments on the the UNHCR’s Operational Reserve to cover draft refugee law and, in co-operation with limited assistance to 6,500 Chechens for a six- IOM, promoted the establishment of an inter- month period from May to October is barely ministerial working group to discuss problems sufficient, since the number of Chechen refu- facing refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as gees is increasing. Assistance is being provided the adoption and implementation of the refu- through a Chechen association and the Red gee law. UNHCR conducted a series of refugee Crescent Society of Kazakhstan. A plan to sup- law training seminars and workshop for gov- port to the government’s efforts to reduce the ernment officials, judges, parliamentarians, statelessness of some 191,000 ethnic Kazakhs NGOs and students. The Office also hosted a who have returned to Kazakhstan could not be country-of-origin workshop on Afghanistan implemented, due to funding constraints. Of a and Chechnya. total of 1,216 asylum-seekers who entered the refugee status determination procedure during Some 10,500 Tajik refugees of Kyrgyz ethnicity the first half of the year, 855 persons, of whom have expressed the wish to settle in Kyr- 98 per cent were Afghans, obtained refugee gyzstan. With the full agreement of the Gov- status. Limited medical and financial assistance ernment, a programme commenced this year is provided through the Red Crescent Society, to assist in their integration. It covers health, whose resources have also been strained by the education, income-generation, infrastructure arrival of Chechens. Income-generation and rehabilitation and legal assistance activities. language training have been provided through The needs of women and children are being national NGOs. In all programmes, the needs emphasised, for instance through the construc- of women and children are given priority atten- tion of a community building in Dedek-Bubu tion. Activities included support to a kinder- village for some 120 refugee children. Micro- garten for Afghan refugee children, and pro- credit schemes try to benefit refugee women in motion of the culture of peace and tolerance particular. Refugees are eager to acquire citi- during activities to celebrate the International zenship and UNHCR is working closely with Day of Protection of Children on 1 June. In the Kyrgyz and Tajik governments on simpli- CENTRAL ASIA

UNHCR Mid-Year Report 2000 - Page 151 - Regional Overview

fied procedures for the acquisition of Kyrgyz A local settlement project was initiated in citizenship. As of June, 805 Afghan refugees Turkmenistan this year, aimed at the integra- were registered with the authorities. UNHCR tion of about 14,000 Tajik refugees of Turk- provides limited care and maintenance to this men ethnic origin. The project got off to a group in the form of education, medical and slower start than anticipated, owing to the legal assistance. A total of 53 Chechen families need to concentrate limited resources on re- have registered officially with the authorities solving the issue of transit for Tajik returnees. and UNHCR provided assistance to 185 per- Assistance continued towards the integration sons in the form of food, medical assistance of Afghans of Turkmen ethnicity in Lebap and domestic supplies, which is channelled province. Recognised refugees continue to be through a national implementing partner. assisted through the Red Crescent Society of UNHCR continues to promote adoption of Turkmenistan. A small programme to resettle a refugee legislation, and the strengthening of limited number of refugees abroad is being the operational capacity of the Agency for Mi- considered. In June, the Government con- gration and Demography. Training and semi- firmed that the creation of a refugee office has nars have been conducted for officials on citi- been approved by the President and that it zenship and protection-related issues. Co- should be set up in the coming months. This operation is maintained with the Bishkek Mi- decision follows the recommendations of a gration Management Centre, the Judicial working group set up to look into the issue, in Training Centre and other legal institutions. which UNHCR played a leading role.

UNHCR continues to advocate through vari- Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian country ous channels at the political level the early re- that has not signed the 1951 Convention and sumption of repatriation to Tajikistan of Ta- 1967 Protocol. Uzbekistan does not acknowl- jiks from Turkmenistan. The issue of transit edge the existence of refugees in the country. through Uzbek territory from Turkmenistan This means that all protection and assistance has been successfully resolved. In order to sup- of individual cases is handled by UNHCR. port the successful reintegration of returnees, One of UNHCR’s major objectives in Uzbeki- UNHCR distributed seeds and fertilisers to stan is to advocate for a change of attitude by 3,053 households and 75 schools, while techni- the authorities and to convince the Govern- cal support for agricultural production was also ment to develop and implement a legal frame- provided. Eleven flour and rice mills were re- work for refugee protection and reduction of constructed, village irrigation water pumping statelessness. During the first six months of the stations were repaired, and a small-scale village year, 1,535 refugees and asylum-seekers were sewing enterprise was set up. Assistance in the registered with UNHCR, of which 99 per cent form of hand pumps, the reconstruction of were Afghans. A total of 193 persons received Shaartuz hospital, support for livestock rearing, mandate status. Material assistance has been as well as income-generation and agricultural provided to the most vulnerable refugees projects are in progress. Conflict-resolution ac- through agreements with national NGOs. tivities are also being organised for youths and Medical assistance, education and income- adolescents. Legal training on refugee law and generation projects especially targeted women statelessness continued. During the reporting and children. Some 120 refugees were reset- period, 176 asylum-seekers submitted requests tled. The UNHCR field office in Termez con- for refugee status to the State Migration Ser- tinues to provide logistical back up and sup- vice, of which 28 were granted. UNHCR is port to other operations in the area, notably working with the Government to streamline for Tajikistan (logistics) and Turkmenistan the registration procedure and is also studying (transit for Tajik repatriation). the first draft of the refugee law, which has been submitted by the Government for com- ments.

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FINANCIAL DATA (USD) Initial Budget Revised Budget Total Funds Available* Total Funds Obligated AB and TF SP AB and TF SP AB and TF SP AB and TF SP Countries

Kazakhstan 703'645 0 818'383 0 387'102 0 359'100 0 Kyrgyzstan 1'242'427 0 1'557'300 0 708'122 0 706'000 0 Tajikistan 2'676'005 0 2'546'192 0 1'233'109 0 1'102'900 0 Turkmenistan 795'039 0 1'233'991 0 537'440 0 507'400 0 Uzbekistan 1'524'119 0 1'396'648 0 756'900 0 739'900 0 Regional Projects 0 0 0 0 38'717 0 0 0 Sub-total 6'941'235 0 7'552'514 0 3'661'390 0 3'415'300 0 Bureau at Headquarters 240'900 0 240'603 0 108'966 0 108'966 0 TOTAL 7'182'135 0 7'793'117 0 3'770'356 0 3'524'266 0

*Includes income from unrestricted contributions, income from contributions restricted to the region and countries within the region, opening bal- ance and adjustments.

CENTRAL ASIA

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