CA-NEWS (TM) - The Ministry of Finance of Turkmenistan on behalf of the Government of Turkmenistan has signed the Grant Agreement with the World Bank on the "Statistical Capacity Building for Growth and Poverty Reduction" Project on June 15. The project will be implemented by the State Committee of Statistics (SCS) of Turkmenistan. The total budget of the grant is US$ 387,500. The Grant is financed by the Trust Fund for the Statistical Capacity Building.

The Grant aims to further strengthen capacity for collection and analysis of socio-economic statistics in Turkmenistan to support socio-economic development of the country. The three major components of the Grant include: a) Development of a Statistical Master Plan; b) Strengthening Capacity to Conduct a Living Standards Measurement Survey; and c) Strengthening Capacity to Conduct a Survey of the Informal Sector. The development of the Statistical Master Plan will enable the Government of Turkmenistan to define a medium-term action plan with funding needs, with the clear aim of adopting international standards for statistics. The living standards measurement survey will be instrumental in analyzing how rapid growth in recent years influenced incomes and consumption at the household level. The last component, a survey of the informal economy, would enable analysis of shifts at the sectoral level and better understand the growing role of the private sector.

"The World Bank has been playing an important role in bringing the level of statistical capacity to international standards in many countries of the region," says Mr. Roger Robinson, World Bank Country Manager for Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan. "We are pleased to be engaging with the Government of Turkmenistan on this issue and look forward to supporting efforts by the State Committee of Statistics to strengthen its capacity to collect and analyze socio-economic data."

The Grant will be implemented by the State Committee of Statistics in accordance with World Bank financial management and procurement procedures. The duration of the Grant is two years.

Turkmenistan signed the Articles of Agreement of the World Bank Group on September 22, 1992. The first Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Turkmenistan was presented to the World Bank's Board on May 27, 1997. In 1996, the Bank established a Liaison Office in Ashgabat to enhance communications with the government and to provide operational support. Currently, the World Bank Group continues to conduct a dialogue with the Turkmen Government by providing assistance in a number of areas of mutual interest.