Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Duane Butcher, provided opening remarks. His remarks were followed by Mr. Abdulkarimov, Acting Director of the Institute for Study of Civil Society.

The Initiative’s main objective is to build the capacity of local governments, in communication and collaboration with constituents, to provide improved local government service delivery and governance.

The Local Development Initiative’s efforts will focus on: (i) building local government capacity; (ii) providing support to local governments in the delivery of improved services; and (iii) supporting local governments in facilitating citizen involvement in planning and project implementation. The project will run until September 2012.

“Improvement of local government capacity in providing public services is critical to Uzbekistan’s long-term prosperity. By working together at the local level, communities and their government officials can find sustainable solutions to many of their problems,” said Ms. Marilynne Davis, the Initiative’s Chief of Party.

The Local Development Initiative is one of many assistance projects implemented by USAID on behalf of the American people in Uzbekistan. Since 1993 the American people through USAID have provided more than US$330 million in assistance programs in Uzbekistan.