Kazakhstan scrutinizes USAID’s activities in the republicKazakhstan is conducting a detailed analysis of the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assess whether the stated goals of the USAID funded projects and programs align with their actual results, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin said in a reply to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the analysis of the USAID projects.The parliament factions of People’s Party of Kazakhstan and the AMANAT Party submitted earlier a request to the government regarding the USAID’s activities in the republic. The official reply prepared by Zhumangarin was published recently.“We will continue scrutinizing the USAID’s activities, in particular the USAID funded projects and programs, their goals, and the alignment of the stated goals with actual results (within the framework of the Working Group on Cooperation with USAID, established in 2024 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and involving all concerned government agencies),” the document says.The analysis will focus on USAID’s country strategies, its connections with government and non-government organizations, as well as financial flows for possible discrepancies or misuse of funds and conflicts of interest.According to information provided by the U.S. State Department to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as many as 28 long-term programs across various sectors were in progress in 2024 under bilateral agreements with USAID.“In total, USAID allocated $26.5 million for programs that were carried out in Kazakhstan in 2023–2024 (in such areas as economy, energy, healthcare, civil society, mass media and others). Some projects extended beyond Kazakhstan to other Central Asian countries,” the document says.According to the Ministry of Culture and Information, USAID programs planned for 2024–2025 are being implemented by several domestic and international non-government organizations, including Desenta Foundation, Kadyr-Kasiyet Association, and the local offices of EURASIA FOUNDATION, Winrock International, Internews Network and American Bar Association. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX