Technical Assistance to CIS Countries

During the last two decades the countries that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have received billions of dollars in development aid from a multitude of international development organizations and bilateral donors. Over $1 billion per year has come in the form of technical assistance (TA). While technical assistance projects have played a positive and important role in the economic transformation of the CIS, there is growing concern that problems have accumulated in the area of technical cooperation (TC) between donors, providers and recipients in the host countries. In order to improve the effectiveness of technical cooperation in the CIS, an increase in communication and understanding, recognition and coordination of interests between all TC stakeholders, and a reduction in the substantial information gap that exists between the various participants, is called for. Addressing these issues could have a crucial impact on the success of future development assistance projects.