Belarus Economy
US Department Of State Post Report
The U.S. Government continues to support the development of the private sector and the transition to a free market economy. But due to the many obstacles, foreign companies are reluctant to invest in Belarus. Transportation AutomobilesLast Updated: 11/28/2003 10:11 AM Central Minsk is accessible by foot or reliable inexpensive public transportation. Most Embassy employees, however, have their own vehicles. One personally owned vehicle (POV) may be shipped to Minsk from the U.S. or from another post at U.S. Government expense. POVs can also be purchased and shipped from an overseas dealer, from the Army/Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) in ... [Read More]
Background Notes
These publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. The Notes are updated/revised by the Office of Electronic Information and Publications of the Bureau of Public Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus and are added to the database of the Department of State website you are now using. ... [Read More]
Bush Interviewed by Lithuanian State TV Prior to Europe Trip - US Department of State
Lithuania serves as a great example of what is possible. After years of being subjugated to harsh rule, the Lithuanians are now free, and they're showing they can grow the economy, and that people have a chance to express themselves, and there's a vibrant society when you're free. And it has been hard. The transition from communism to a free democracy is a hard transition. And it's very important for the Lithuanians and the government to share that experience with others who will be going through the same thing. And so I am very proud of Lithuania, and I'm proud to call her "friend." ... [Read More]
International Security - US Department of State
06 July 2005 - G8 Leaders To Focus on Economy, Climate Change, Africa ... 30 June 2005 - Officials See Better Economy, Security as Keys to Gaza Withdrawal ... [Read More]
Belarus
The country had a population of approximately 10 million. The economy was planned centrally with industry accounting for approximately half of economic output. The majority of workers were employed in the state industrial and state agricultural sectors. In the state sector wages were lower than the national average and wage arrears were chronic though often of short duration and limited scope. Official macroeconomic statistics have become more reliable, and showed that living standards for many segments of society continued to decline. Residents of small towns and rural areas, where incomes were particularly low, sustained themselves through unreported economic activity and subsistence farming. ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cote dIvoire is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Available information indicates that the overall magnitude of trafficking in Cote dIvoire has diminished in the past few years. Ivoirian girls are trafficked within the country for exploitation as domestic servants, street vendors, and prostitutes, and occasionally are lured to Europe where they are forced into commercial sexual exploitation after being deceived by false marriage proposals. Children from Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, and Benin are trafficked to Cote dIvoire for agricultural and domestic labor exploitation. Nigerian and Ghanaian women and children, as well as some females from Algeria, Morocco, China, and the Philippines, are trafficked to Abidjan and other large towns for sexual exploitation. Some of these women also transit Cote dIv ... [Read More]
U.S. Assistance to Belarus Fiscal Year 2004
United States (U.S.) assistance programs in Belarus promote Belarusian efforts to develop civil society, including media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as an open market-oriented economy. The U.S. works with all elements of Belarusian society through educational and professional exchanges to the United States, as well as training in democratic principles and practices. The U.S. sees it in its long-term national interest to promote Belarus integration into the wider trans-Atlantic community of democracies, while respecting Belarusian independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Assistance programs continue to respond to humanitarian needs in Belarus as well as develop dialogue and expertise on security and social issues, such as trafficking in persons. ... [Read More]
Belarus
On November 11, the Ministry of the Economy informed the ILO that all activities related to its technical assistance project to labor unions must cease, because the registration of the project was denied. On October 22, the Presidential Administration issued order 460 concerning the provision of international technical assistance inside the country. Ostensibly issued to clarify the tax treatment of foreign assistance funds, the order complicates project registration procedures by establishing government approval of project activities as a prerequisite for registration. In November, the President issued decree 24, which establishes regulations governing the receipt of foreign assistance that has not been approved and registered by the Government (see Section 2 b.). In refusing to register ILO's technical assistance project, the Ministry cited the exclusion of the BFTU from project activities. The Ministry insisted that assistance should be channeled through an agreement wit ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belarus
Government regulations effectively prohibited human rights NGOs from receiving support from foreign sources. A 2003 Presidential decree stipulated that international assistance may only be granted to, or accepted by, an organization that is registered with the Ministry of Economy. On the receiving side, all non-governmental projects receiving funds or materials from abroad, including those carried out by international organizations, must be registered either with the Ministry of Economy (in cases of technical aid) or with the Humanitarian Assistance Department of the Presidential Property Management (in cases of humanitarian relief). Unregistered organizations are not allowed to receive foreign assistance. Further, the law specifies that any local body that receives "illegal" foreign aid may be closed after just one violation of these requirements. It is illegal for unregistered organizations to receive foreign assistance or provide assistance to other NGOs. A presidential decree, "On ... [Read More]
Belarus (10/04)
The U.S. Government continues to support the development of the private sector in Belarus and its transition to a free market economy. With the advent of the Lukashenko regime, Belarusian authorities have pursued a generally hostile policy toward the private sector and have refused to initiate the basic economic reforms necessary to create a market-based economy. Most of the Belarusian economy remains in government hands. The government, in particular the presidential administration, exercises control over most enterprises in all sectors of the economy. In addition to driving away many major foreign investors--largely through establishment of a "Golden Share " requirement, which allows government control in all companies with foreign investment--Belarus centralization and command approach to the economy has left only a trickle of U.S. Government and international assistance programs in this field. ... [Read More]
|