2008 Activities2008 Activities
During 2008, the Central Eurasia Project (CEP) launched several initiatives and made significant progress with longstanding efforts in strengthening the capacity of local human rights organizations and civil society activists, advancing the campaign to stop the practice of forced child labor in Uzbekistan, and advocating for increased environmental protection and extractive industry revenue transparency in Turkmenistan.
Labor Migration
With labor migration being among the most pressing social issues in the region, CEP worked to mitigate the impact of labor migration in the sending countries and to ameliorate conditions in the receiving countries. In 2008, CEP's grantmaking activities funded the work of organizations in Russia and the region that provide social and legal services to labor migrants in need and advocate for the promotion and protection of their rights. In partnership with Human Rights Watch, CEP concluded the first of a three-year regional research and advocacy initiative, which is conducting a thorough analysis of migration laws, monitoring the enforcement of these laws and documenting human rights violations against migrants, and offering policy recommendations.
Hydropower and Electricity Initiative in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, CEP and its partners initiated a project to build broad coalitions to promote transparency and accountability in the management of water and electricity. The severe winter of 2007/08, during which some 3000 people died, underscored the shortcomings of electricity governance in the region. Through this initiative, CEP is building meaningful advocacy coalitions to expose corruption and give the public greater standing on a governance issue that has multifaceted ramifications.
Maximizing EU Leverage in the Caucasus and Central Asia
In acknowledgment of the European Union's increasingly important role in Central Asia and the Caucasus, CEP supported the creation of a network of scholars and experts to monitor the EU's implementation of its Central Asia Strategy and to raise awareness of the EU's approach to the region. The EU Central Asian Monitoring project, a new initiative co-funded with a range of European donors including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and administered by Fundacion para las Relaciones Internacionales y Dialogo Exterior in Madrid and the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, is helping CEP shape EU policy toward the region.
The Russia-Georgia Crisis
CEP played a valuable role in galvanizing international response to the Russia-Georgia conflict. Prioritizing the monitoring of human rights violations, provision of humanitarian relief, and support for credible independent media coverage, CEP awarded a grant to Human Rights Watch, which enabled them to document human rights violations occurring in South Ossetia, North Ossetia and Georgia proper and to advocate on behalf of civilians in the conflict zone. CEP also convened meetings in Berlin and in New York during the UN General Assembly to focus attention on the implications of the conflict for human rights and democracy promotion in the region.
Turkmenistan
In 2008, CEP provided analyses for policymakers, supported openings for civil society, and collaborated with international initiatives. CEP prioritized strengthening the ability of civil society groups to respond to social challenges prompted by increased energy investment in Turkmenistan. To encourage rights protection and promote economic development and reform, CEP promoted socially responsible trade with the European Union, sponsored independent research on environmental degradation, engaged international oil and gas companies to positively influence policy making in Turkmenistan, and brought together governments, civil society groups, and corporations involved in natural resource extraction to develop practices that increase revenue transparency and protect the environment.
Uzbekistan
In response to the continuation of the Karimov regime's repression of civil society groups, CEP supported activities to strengthen human rights advocacy, increase press freedoms, and challenge the state-sponsored practice of forced child labor. Grants awarded to Uzbek human rights groups enabled them to contribute to the December session of the UN Universal Periodic Review during which Uzbekistan was reviewed. The comments made by fourteen states over child labor in Uzbekistan helped to raise this issue to the rank of mainstream human rights agenda for this country.
