Prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States in the field of official development assistance discussed in Almaty

Almaty, January 12, 2021 – Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Rapil Zhoshybayev, met with Javier Piedra, Acting Assistant Administrator of the USAID Agency for International Cooperation.

The parties discussed topical issues of cooperation between the two countries in the field of official development assistance (ODA) and prospects for its further strengthening, including through the organization of advanced training courses and practical seminars for employees of the KazAID Agency.

Mr. Zhoshybayev briefed on the work carried out on the formation of the national system of ODA, the pilot projects of ODA implemented by Kazakhstan in cooperation with foreign donors over the past few years, as well as the creation of a national operator in this field.

In response, the USAID representative, welcoming the creation of the KazAID Agency, expressed readiness to provide technical assistance to Kazakhstan in the development of the national system of ODA, as well as to share experience in this direction, which, in his opinion, will serve to strengthen stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Along with this, Mr. Piedra highly appreciated Kazakhstan's efforts to help the development of its neighbors in the region.

Kazakhstan proposed to consider the implementation in a trilateral partnership format, where KazAID could act as an implementing agency for projects in the beneficiary countries interested in receiving international development assistance with funding from the U.S., in areas including the establishment of population service centers, the implementation of e-government, the development of border trade, the provision of clean drinking water, rational use of water resources, etc.

As a result of the meeting, an agreement was reached to establish cooperation on the implementation of joint projects and to sign a memorandum of understanding between the international development agencies of Kazakhstan and the U.S. in the near future, which will bring cooperation in this field to a new level.