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United Nations Development Programme |
Session of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) RBEC Advisory Board was held in Moscow on 15–16 May, 2003.
The purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide UNDP with independent strategic advice on the key development changes, with special emphasis on priority areas of design and implementation of meaningful development programmes in the Russian Federation and CIS.
The
major topic of a meeting became the discussion of interaction of Russia and
the countries of the CIS with European Union, the discussion focused on several
key issues, including analysis of successes and failures of the transition process,
lessons of economic reforms in the Russian Federation, other CIS countries,
and the Baltic States. A special session was devoted to the weakness and future
development of democratic institution with the focus on the role of civil society,
decentralized governance and various factors affecting further democratic development
in Russia.
UNDP Resident Representatives from various CIS and Eastern Europe countries, as well as representatives of the Russian public organizations, interstate committees and EuroAzian Economic Community (EvrAzEs) attended the meeting.
Among the key-note speakers were: Kalman Mizsei – UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director Europe and CIS, Leszec Balcerowicz – President of Central Bank of Poland, Egor Gaidar – Director of Institute for the Economy in Transition and others.
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On May 15, a conference dedicated to the International Year of Fresh Water was held at the Russian Academy of Public Administration (RAPA) under the President of the Russian Federation. It was organized by RAPA and the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Russia. Taking part in the conference were academics, diplomats, representatives of non-governmental and other international organizations, and members of the business community and mass media.
"There is nothing more pliable than a handful of water, and there is nothing more destructive than a stream of water", runs an old Tajik saying. It was quoted in the introductory remarks of Safar Safarov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan. He reminded the conference’s participants that the UN General Assembly’s resolution to have an International Year of Fresh Water was adopted on December 20, 2000, following the initial proposal by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov. The 149 member states of the United Nations were the resolution’s co-authors. The ambassador drew the attention of those gathered to the alarming forecasts of some scientists: by the end of the 21st century, more than half the world’s nations could suffer from a lack of water. For Central Asia, the glaciers of the Pamir Mountains are the main source of fresh water; in the last 50 years, these reserves have shrunk by half.
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A two-day workshop entitled "Nature Protected Areas in Altai Republic: problems and development prospects" was held in Gorno-Altaisk on April 28–29, 2003. It was organised with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
The workshop was well attended with representatives from the
Altai Republic Government, regional members of parliament, local government
officials, Nature 
Protected
Areas (NPA) management staff, the scientific community, and representatives
from international organizations and NGOs.
The Altai Republic is a pioneer of regional NPA establishment in the Russian Federation, and has five protected areas of regional importance. The management plan for «Uch-Enmeck» regional park is currently being developed with support from both UNDP and WWF. The Uch-Enmeck park is an interesting site as it also serves as an ethno-natural park. Taking advantage of its characteristics, UNDP has agreed to support the establishment of a traditional crafts development centre to highlight the cultural heritage of the area and more importantly to promote local public involvement in NPA activities. Public involvement is of essence to the success of NPA’s and in the case of the Altai Republic’s 5 parks, local public initiatives and active participation were key in ensuring their establishment.
The workshop was a reflection of the spirit of integrated approaches and public participation. Its two main goals were to endorse the regional NPA development framework that was designed by WWF as well as an opportunity to allow concerns and ideas to be voiced and exchanged. The outcomes of the workshop included recommendations to the Altai Republic Government to adopt the regional framework , and to establish an agency responsible for financing and coordination of NPA activities in the Republic. UNDP representatives would be called upon to participate in the agency’s activities. The regional parliament was not left out of the picture and there were recommendations to adopt a law on NPA network development within the Republic.
The workshop programme included presentations on "Uch-Enmeck" and "Chui-Ozy" natural parks. The Workshop concluded with a tour of these reserves which was a journey of breathtaking vistas and horizons, but it didn’t end with just a physical sense of the grandeur of the Altai Republic. Within the short span of two days, with close contact with the NPA personnel and other workshop participants, it slowly dawned that the real treasure of Altai is its remarkable people who protect and cherish their invaluable culture and natural heritage, and with genuine warmth are ready to share the beauty and heritage of this unique mountain country.
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On June 3, Mr David Ioseliani, Dr of Medical Sciences, Professor, and State Prize Laureate, celebrated his 60th birthday.
Prof.
Ioseliani is one of the founders and organizers of what was, for Russia, a completely
new way of treating cardiovascular disease – interventional cardioangiology.
He was the first physician in Russia to introduce the method of balloon angioplasty,
and the grafting of prosthetic coronary arteries in those suffering from acute
myocardial attacks. A brilliant surgeon, he has performed many thousands of
endovascular disgnostic and therapeutic procedures on the heart and blood vessels.
His many years of clinical experience are reflected in more than 200 scientific
publications, including four monographs. In 1993, he became the first Russian
physician to be elected a member of the American College of Cardiologists. Prof.
Ioseliani is a foreign corresponding member of many scientific academies and
cardiological societies abroad.
In 1998, Prof. Ioseliani became the national director of the UNDP project "An Educational Programme in the Area of Cardiovascular Disease". Under his direction, the project has been implemented very successfully in many of Russia’s regions. In June 2003, the second phase of the project will get under way.