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ENC hosted a series of events on the EU-Central Asia relationship and disinformation and Russian propaganda in the region

By Events

ENC hosted a series of events on the EU-Central Asia relationship and disinformation and Russian propaganda in the region

On September 20th, the European Neighbourhood Council brought together a diverse audience for a series of engaging events in Brussels. These events delved into pressing topics in Central Asia and highlighted the importance of international cooperation.

The day started with an enlightening discussion at the event titled “Uzbekistan – The EU’s Strategic Partner in Central Asia” at the European Parliament hosted by MEP and Uzbekistan Rapporteur, Ilhan Kyuchyuk who made the opening remarks by emphasizing Uzbekistan’s pivotal role as the EU’s strategic partner in Central Asia. Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Director of ENC, echoed this sentiment, underscoring the growing significance of this partnership, especially after the war in Ukraine. Key speakers, including Dietmar Krissler (Head of Division for Central Asia at the EEAS), Eldor Tulyakov (Executive Director of the Development Strategy Center and a Member of the Parliament of Uzbekistan), Amanda Paul (Senior Policy Analyst at the EPC), Samuel Doveri Vesterbye (Director of ENC) shared their insights on constitutional reforms, EU-Uzbekistan relations, and potential avenues for cooperation.

The afternoon brought two film screening events, one at Vrije Universiteit Brussels and another at historical Cinema Galeries, under the framework of the REVIVE Project, supported by the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and implemented by Internews. The first movie screening was dedicated to film “Bunker”, directed by Adilet Makenov. In his opening remarks, Mr. Makenov, emphasized the film’s role in promoting critical thinking and sparking discussions about Central Asia’s media landscape. Following the screening, an engaging Q&A session took place at the university, covering subjects including the accessibility of Western media in Central Asia and the diversity of news sources.

The day concluded with a reception and second film screening event at Cinema Galeries, shedding light on the plight of Crimean Tatars seeking asylum in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Crimean Caravan, a film directed by Ainur Koskina, portrayed the difficulties that Ukrainian Crimea Tatars experienced when they were forced to flee Russian conscription. The event drew nearly 100 attendees, including EU officials, media professionals, and concerned individuals, emphasizing the significance of EU-Central Asia relations.

Our events showcased the crucial role of international cooperation and dialogue in addressing critical issues in Central Asia and beyond.

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Promoting Equal Opportunities through the EU-funded “Sanarip Insan” (Digital Citizen) project

By ENC In-Depth, Podcast

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Promoting Equal Opportunities through the EU-funded “Sanarip Insan” (Digital Citizen) project

This ENC in-depth podcast is dedicated to “Promoting Equal Economic Opportunities and Resilience of Youth in the Kyrgyz Republic – Sanarip Insan (Digital Citizen)”, a project that is implemented by the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) in collaboration with the Public Association “Internet Society Kyrgyzstan Chapter” (ISOC) with the financial support of the EU Delegation in the Kyrgyz Republic. The aim of the project is to provide knowledge of the work of the digital and green economy to young people and women living in rural regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In this in-depth discussion, Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and Talant Sultanov, co-founder of the Internet Society-Kyrgyz Chapter, talk about, among other topics, the main activities and the progress of the project, the power of digital literacy and the internet in Kyrgyzstan as well as the next steps in terms of training, funding, providing support and media skills.

The “Sanarip Insan” project has been ongoing since 2021 and it directly and practically promotes equal economic opportunity and youth resilience through digital access, media literacy training, support for programming in different languages and has been supporting over 100.000 rural and urban youths in the country with a special focus on young women and local entrepreneurs and civil society.

You can listen the in-depth discussion here:

 

ENC Analysis – Sustainable Commercialization of Uzbek Heritage along the Silk Road: A Perspective from the EU

By Publications, Research

ENC Analysis: Sustainable Commercialization of Uzbek Heritage along the Silk Road; a Perspective from the EU

The European Neighborhood Council (ENC) released a new analysis on the tourism development and sustainable commercialization of Uzbekistan’s heritage. 

This article is written by İpek Tekdemir, ENC and European Parliament Advisor for MEP and Secretary General of the EU-Uzbekistan Friendship Group in the European Parliament (EP),  Nazlican Kavukcu and Javida Rahimova.

In light of its extensive historical past, natural surroundings, and delectable cuisine, Uzbekistan has the potential to become a significant tourism destination. In this ENC analysis, the authors examine how the EU may promote the commercialization of Uzbek heritage and the development of sustainable tourism by providing technical and financial assistance to help Uzbek tourism facilities’ efficient use of resources as well as how the recently formed EU-Uzbekistan Friendship Group in the European Parliament (EP) can work in tandem to support the promotion of Uzbek heritage and tourism.

 

The full analysis is available here.

ENC In-Depth Podcast – The Geopolitics of EU Enlargement: The Case of Georgia and the war in Ukraine

By ENC In-Depth

ENC In-Depth Podcast – The Geopolitics of EU Enlargement: The Case of Georgia and the war in Ukraine

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “The Geopolitics of EU Enlargement- The Case of Georgia” by our External Advisor Dr. Natalie Sabanadze.

In her article, Dr. Sabanadze examines how the EU can benefit from enlargement for its own geopolitical gain without sacrificing its fundamental values and the transformative agenda for the candidate states and offers an analysis of the present difficulties facing both the EU and Georgia as well as suggestions for how to overcome them.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Natalie Sabanadze, a Cyrus Vance visiting professor in International Relations at Mount Holyoke College, USA.

You can listen to the in-depth interview here:

Vacancy Announcement – Project Administrator Officer and Research Assistant

By Vacancy Announcements

Project Administrator Officer and Research Assistant

Deadline: 30.06.2022
Work experience: 3 years
Location: Turkey
Involvement: 80% of time, 3-4 days per week
Schedule: 09:00-17:00

Context

European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) is an independent think tank that conducts research and implements projects with the aim of strengthening a common European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), Enlargement Policy and the promotion of a Global Strategy for the European Union’s (EU) Foreign and Security Policy. ENC conducts research that aims towards improved dialogue and neighbourhood coordination among European Union (EU) Member States, EU Accession Countries, European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries, including also the ‘Neighbours of the Neighbours’ (Central Asian Republics, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Iran, and Sahel Countries). Website: http://www.encouncil.org/

European Neigbourhood Council (ENC) is announcing the position of Project Administrator Officer and Research Assistant. 

The Project Administrator Officer and Research Assistant under the supervision of ENC managing director, will have the responsibility to oversee the implementation and produce reporting for the German MFA-funded project “Strengthening Business and Human Rights Awareness and Monitoring Capacity  of Business and Civil Society Actors through Capacity Building” run by ENC (Belgium) and Minerva (Turkey). The overall objective of the project is to establish binding human rights due diligence obligations in Turkey and to generate awareness for responsible business practices. The aim is to enable actors from both the business community and civil society to build up the knowledge and necessary methods to guarantee human rights standards. 

Mission:

  • Ensure high-quality and timely implementation and follow-up of the project
  • Manage and coordinate day to day administrative, logistical and various aspects of the project to successfully implement the project. 
  • Ensure coordination between partners and with the donor. Attend meetings, take notes, and coordinate communication between project team members and partners.
  • Regularly monitor that the project is implemented in accordance with this contract and stays within budget.
  • Provide desk research, writing/editing from consultations, meetings and other data-collection/mapping
  • Provide administrative and logistical support: scheduling meetings, arranging travel, and ensuring that the necessary materials and resources are available when needed.
  • Support the Turkish partner in project implementation
  • Assist with budgeting: request payments, plan and track budget spending, identify areas where cost savings can be realized. 
  • Support for project accounting, documentation. Ensure the collection of documentation required for reporting. Ensure receipt, verification and consolidation of project expenditure information, and prepare financial and narrative reports for donors.
  • Prepare a grant proposal to expand the project (concept note/budget/timeline/logframe, etc).
  • Inform the managing director about the progress of the project
  • Complete any other relevant tasks as assigned by the Management

Skills and Experiences Needed:

  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • 2-3 years of experience in coordinating projects funded by institutional donors
  • Skills in human resource administration, logistics and procurement procedure
  • Experience of reporting, project management and budget tracking
  • Strong research skills
  • Experience in preparing organizational documents, minutes, follow ups, project letter templates in powerpoint, word, etc.
  • Experience in organization of project-related events, workshops, staff meetings, and general meetings, including dissemination of background documents.
  • Experience in preparing monthly human resources documents (timesheets, request for payments, invoices)
  • Experience in preparing terms of references for prospectives job announcements or procurement announcements
  • Experience in arranging travel and hotel reservations. 
  • Advanced digital skills: Office, Internet, apps (Google, Microsoft services, Telegram). Cloud services (Zoom)
  • Fluent oral/writing expression in English and Turkish.
  • Ability to work with limited supervision and under deadlines
  • Proactiveness
  • Solution-oriented
  • Organizational skills
  • Ability to prioritize
  • Experience of working in Turkish NGOs is a plus
  • Turkish language is a plus, English language is a necessity

Contract:

  • Freelancing for six month (start date 1 July 2023) 
  • 80% time of time: 3-4 days/week
  • Contract until 31.12.2023 with the possibility of extension
  • Office in Brussels, Belgium
  • Remote work is possible (from Turkiye for example is an advantage)

How to apply: send your CV and one page cover letter to Ms Asuman Kubra Bas a.kubrabas@encouncil.org addressing how your experience matches the requirements for this job.

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy in light of the war in Ukraine

By Podcast

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy in light of the war in Ukraine

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: Walking a Fine Line: Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy post-2022by our Academic Council Member Dr. Aijan Sharshenova.

In her article, Dr. Sharshenova explains, among other things, how the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, a country that is in a particularly difficult situation due to its dependence on both the Russian economy and Western development funding, navigates its foreign policy choices in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Aijan Sharshenova a Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre, UK.

You can listen to the in-depth interview here:

ENC Analysis: Walking a Fine Line- Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy post-2022

By Publications, Research

ENC Analysis: Walking a Fine Line- Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy post-2022

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released a new analysis on how Kyrgyzstan navigates the challenging situation in its foreign policy, in light of the Russia’s war in Ukraine.

This article is written by our Academic Council Member Dr. Aijan Sharshenova, a Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre, UK.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Central Asian countries had to swiftly alter their narratives and behaviors regarding foreign policy. In this ENC analysis, the author examines how the Republic of Kyrgyzstan expresses its foreign policy preferences, as a nation that finds itself in a very challenging position by being dependent on both the Russian economy and Western development aid.

The full analysis is available here.

New Report on Media Consumption and Disinformation in Central Asia 

By Events, Projects, Publications, Research

New Report on Media Consumption and Disinformation in Central Asia 

The European Neighbourhood Council released it’s new report on “Central Asian Media Consumption and Disinformation: a quantitative and qualitative assessment in the context of geo-politics”. The report produced under the EU-funded project titled “Resilience and Engagement with Varied Information for a Vibrant Environment” (REVIVE), implemented by Internews.

From the ongoing Russia’s war in Ukraine to controversial domestic events in the region, the report explains what information – and disinformation – Central Asians consume, as well as the reasons why they consume it. The research’s overarching objective is to deepen our understanding of regional media consumption patterns, with a focus on the audiences most vulnerable to disinformation—young, elderly, and linguistic minorities.

A mixed methodology was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data for the study. In particular, CATI and extensive semi-structured interviews were done in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Desk research, on the other hand, covered each of the five states in the region, including Turkmenistan. 2,400 people participated in the large-scale survey, while the qualitative portion included 360 in-depth semi-structured interviews, including 60 with media consumers and 30 with media content providers (such as journalists and bloggers) each country.

The report and its recommendations are essential in understanding the media environment and combating disinformation in Central Asia.

Full report, executive summary and infographics in English.
Full report, executive summary, and infographics in Russian.

First official EU-Russia Parliamentary Committee meeting with the Delegations of the European Parliament to Central Asian Republics

By Events

First official EU-Russia Parliamentary Committee meeting with the Delegations of the European Parliament to Central Asian Republics

The European Members of Parliament for the EU-Russia Parliamentary Committee will officially meet with the Delegations of the European Parliament to Central Asian Republics for the first time during the next D-RU meeting (room: SPINELLI 3G3) on the 24th of April at 16.30-18.00 at the European Parliament. In this Joint Delegation, the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) has been selected to present expert advice to parliamentarians.

The exchange of views on the influence of Russia in Central Asia in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine will be attended by the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (D-RU) in association with the Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan, EU-Tajikistan, and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and for relations with Turkmenistan and Mongolia (DCAS).

The ENC Director, Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, will present the findings and key recommendations of the INTERNEWS-ENC report on Media Consumption and Disinformation in Central Asia, and highlight why the EU should focus more on Central Asia. The exchange of views will continue with other distinguished experts such as Janne Leino, Programme Manager for Foreign and Security Policy, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Andrea Rossi, Deputy Head of Division for Central Asia, EEAS, and Krzysztof Strachota, Head of the Central Asia and South Caucasus Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies, Poland.

The agenda of the meeting can be found here.

Click here to watch the meeting online.

ENC In-Depth Podcast: The EU, China and Russia’s engagement in Central Asia after the war in Ukraine

By Podcast

ENC In-Depth Podcast: The EU, China and Russia’s engagement in Central Asia after the war in Ukraine

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to the recently published study titled “The Return of Central Asia: The EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear” by the European Neighbourhood Council and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Multinational Development Policy Dialogue (MDPD) Brussels.

In this podcast, Samuel Doveri Vesterbye was joined by Dr. Farkhod Aminjonov, to discuss, among other topics, Russia’s position in Central Asia before and after the war in Ukraine, China’s growing security and economic interests in the region, how much investment will be needed in the Middle Corridor in order to reach the capacity in terms of trade and supply chains and how the EU can better engage in the region of Central Asia.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Farkhod Aminjonov, Assistant Professor at the College for Humanities at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates.

You can listen the in-depth interview here.