2008 Press Releases
USAID’s Partners Outline Achievements of Economic Policy Reform Project (02/21/2008)
On February 20, the Economic Policy Reform Project – a three-year USAID funded project implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. – held a completion ceremony at the Grand Orzu Hotel in Tashkent.
Representatives from partner think tanks, universities, embassies, donor organizations, and media attended. The ceremony included remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Richard Norland and award presentations. Professor Sergey Chepel and Dr. Yuliy Yusupov received the “Best Research Awards” for their research on the “Impact Assessment and Development of Practical Recommendations for Uzbekistan’s Accession to the World Trade Organization” and “Government Cotton Quotas: Opportunities for Mechanism Improvement” respectfully. The Center for Economic Research received the “Best Partner Organization Award.”
The Economic Policy Reform Project worked to improve the environment for small and medium enterprises (SME) growth, both by strengthening the banking sector and improving economic policy to foster more transparent budget development, taxation, and government accountability. The project also conducted research on economic reform policy -- such as, monetary, fiscal, trade, agriculture, water, and SME development -- working with local think tanks, NGOs and universities.
BearingPoint, Inc. shared its research with government agencies, parliament, academia, business circles, and the media through round tables and conferences, encouraging policy reform. The project also supported the re-launch of “Uzbekistan Economy Review,” which is circulated to over 700 organizations in three languages. Thanks to this project, annual award competitions for the “Best Economics Student” and the “Best Economic Policy Paper in Uzbekistan” promoted innovative research and studies in economics in Uzbekistan.
