01 January 2000

Bonn, Germany: Some 300,000 in Kazakhstan's Caspian region are faced with just about every major development challenge one can think of: poverty, natural disasters forcing people to flee their homes, environmental deterioration, widening gaps between the rich and poor.

The Caspian coastal region is rich in resources, making Kazakhstan the second-largest oil producer among the former Soviet republics. But the region is environmentally sensitive; flooding due to fluctuations in water levels has caused oil and wastewater pollution in the Caspian Sea. This threat to the ecosystem also affects the economic and social development of the region.

To combat these regional conditions, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) have linked up with the private sector in an innovative development project. A Business Advisory Centre, funded by Chevron and Citibank, has been set up to provide advisory services and training to micro- and small-business owners. A microcredit facility will soon follow, enabling access to funding for small-scale entrepreneurs currently unable to secure financial support from commercial sources.

Several UN Volunteers work to provide ongoing services to local entrepreneurs. A leading Volunteer is Keith Hillyer, an experienced development consultant recruited through UNV's United Nations International Short Term Advisory Resources (UNISTAR) programme as a senior programme advisor. He brings with him 30 years of expertise in small business development.

"I was keen to be a part of it," says Mr. Hillyer, who made his first trip to Kazakhstan in January to set up the project. During his first visit, he conducted more than 30 interviews to identify priority issues deemed necessary to determine the scope of the project.

Careful project planning is critical for Kazakhstan's future. "Our job is to ensure that UNDP gives the Government good advice so that royalties and bonus income from petroleum and other private companies is invested for the sustainable development of this fragile region," notes Mr. Hillyer.

Through their own project, UN Volunteers also support the Atyrau Sustainable Development Centre (ASDC) in such key sectors as job creation, income generation, public health, social services, regional environmental management and community participation. Some of the priority projects identified include improvements to water sanitation system and a sewage treatment facility in Atyrau, establishment of an independent ecological monitoring laboratory, regeneration of old storage facilities and reservoirs setting up a prenatal care centre attached to the maternity hospital and opening a dentistry office.