TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 11 January 2010– Investments in local level capacity have contributed to local governments and community based organizations in five of the 12 regions of the country that are able to advocate for change and participatory rural development. Following the first ever comprehensive capacity assessment of sub-national authorities for service delivery in the country in 2009, local authorities as well as partners from the Ministry of Economy, the Academy of State and Social Construction and community based organizations received training on local development planning, results based management, and monitoring and evaluation.

This complemented ongoing support to local development such as the 11 Information and Resource Centres that were established to help communities identify challenges and develop solutions. The Centres bring together local authorities and communities that, together, have prepared 50 community plans which were also funded by local governments, which in turn received allocations from the 2010 national budget.

As a result, 160 village improvement projects benefitted 380,000 people with better access to water, sanitation, electricity and gas. As a result of these activities in 2009, access to water in the areas where UNDP works with local governments and community based organizations has increased by 30 percent; six percent for health services and seven percent for gas.

"It took e­fforts and good will to do things properly,” said said Fotima Abdullaeva, from Ittifok mahalla in Andijan region. “Our community has contributed both and it has taken all of us together to make things better."

"It made it possible for the local population to see the government could support them in their effort," Laura Rio, Programme Coordinator, UNDP Uzbekistan. "For the Government, it was important because they saw that they could really do something even though it was really difficult. It made them feel that in the context of this very centralized governance, there is space for those who want to do something. In my opinion, that was the best result that we could possibly achieve."

The Information and Resource Centres bring together local government officials, community based practitioners, farmers, women and young people so they can exchange information, discuss and organize training on a range of issues (such as HIV/AIDS and migrants); replicate successful ideas (such as community co financing  of water) and benefit from experience in rural development. As a result of these activities, over 2,000 people have accessed microcredit worth $500,000 and over 200 farmers in 11 cooperatives have been trained in agricultural and food production, micro irrigation, as well as administration and business management.

The programme builds on existing local capacities, including those of traditional community based structures to create, or support, services that are likely to be useful and sustainable.

"Now communities gain confidence to speak out, express their hopes, concerns and participate in important decisions that affect their wellbeing," said Mavluda Jalilova, Ozod mahalla in Namangan region.

UNDP Uzbekistan’s  Enhancement of Living Standards programme (funded by the European Union) and Area Based Development programme support the development of local capacities to mobilize local resources and maintain basic infrastructure in five regions of the country as part of broader initiatives designed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).