USAID Europe & Eurasia Newsletter

Message from

Assistant Administrator

Brock Bierman

This is an exciting time for development work. Yes, the challenges facing our partners across the region are significant. Corruption, political and economic stagnation, and malign foreign influence all threaten to undermine the development gains our partners in the region have worked so hard to achieve.

And yet, despite the scope of these challenges, I have never felt more confident in our ability to build on the momentum of progress and support long-term self-reliance in Europe and Eurasia. That is because never has there been a more diverse field of stakeholders stepping up to help be part of the solution.

Since taking the helm at USAID nearly two years ago, Administrator Green has made it a top priority to expand our network of partners, bringing fresh ideas, new expertise and additional funding opportunities into the mix -- all critical elements for achieving lasting impact. Through efforts such as the New Partnerships Initiative launched last month and the Agency’s Private Sector Engagement Policy, we are increasingly building a deeper bench of stakeholders in development work around the world.

In Europe and Eurasia, we are especially well positioned to expand our own network of partners, and have been making steady progress toward doing so. With many former aid recipients in our region that are now thriving democratic nations themselves, new opportunities for partnership continue to arise. With their recent memory of overcoming similar development obstacles, these countries have valuable insight to share with their neighbors which we continue to capitalize on and help to facilitate.

I am also excited by our deepening collaboration with our colleagues in the EU. Just this month I met with my counterparts in the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). In the coming months, our teams will be working more closely toward shared goals with partners in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. We will also be setting up working groups to explore new collaboration in cybersecurity, disinformation, and energy -- some of the most pressing development issues of the day.

Protecting against the spread of disinformation and mitigating cyber threats -- even ensuring reliable access to energy -- are global priorities, which is why we are so committed to forging global alliances to address them. Addressing these challenges will advance self-reliance in Europe and Eurasia, while also bolstering national security and generating economic opportunities for EU partners and here at home.

By working together, I have no doubt that we are up to the task.

We hope you will follow this journey through our newsletter and by following me on Twitter @BBiermanUSAID and the Europe & Eurasia Bureau @USAIDEurope .

USAID M ission of the Month - Kosovo

On June 13, Kosovo marked an important moment in its recent history: the 20th anniversary of NATO engagement following air strikes against Serbian forces. This event was a tipping point for Kosovo, even as the obviously large-scale damage and destruction at the time promised a long road to recovery. USAID was among the first international organizations on the ground to help with reconstruction.

Twenty years later, with few outward signs of the past destruction, Kosovo has started anew. With expanded access to credit made possible by USAID, small and medium sized businesses have breathed new life into Kosovo's economy.

Private Sector Development

The private sector has the potential to mobilize market-based solutions for more sustainable outcomes. Private sector partners have the innovation, capacity and resources for self-reliance" - DAA Gretchen Birkle speaking to Economy and Business magazine.

Read her full interview here.

Investing in the Next Generation

By working alongside youth leaders from throughout the region, I believe Georgian youth and my country in general will be better able to achieve European integration and will make progress on issues like democracy, justice, freedom of speech, gender equality, and other important social issues. Hear more from EDYN member Mikheil Kumsishvili

Responding to Disinformation

Disinformation is false information that is intended to mislead citizens, pollute public discourse, distort political processes, and drown out voices of civil society and independent media. In Moldova, USAID employs innovative techniques to help journalists and citizens alike sort through the noise and get to the truth.

Read more here

Cybersecurity Overseas & At Home

We sat down with Steve Burns, USAID’s lead energy and infrastructure specialist in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, to learn how the Agency is working to combat cyber attacks on energy systems in countries bordering the Black Sea.

Read the full interview here.

Staff Highlight: Lubov Fajfer Senior Education, Gender, and Vulnerable Groups Advisor

How does your role contribute to USAID's mission in Europe & Eurasia?

I cover several thematic areas that tend to be analyzed separately – education, youth, gender, inclusive development, trafficking in persons – and yet, are interconnected from the development perspective. I see my role as connecting the dots, helping to shape development approaches that take into account the multidimensional realities of the people and communities we aim to serve.

What are you proud of in your work?

Several years ago, I helped introduce an innovative approach to social cohesion and reconciliation to our Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index (SCORE), developed with USAID support by the Center for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development in Cyprus, helps users to identify specific types of interventions and precise entry points for peace-building projects. The index can be used to predict societal trends and provides the basis for evidence-based programmatic options to development practitioners and policy recommendations to decision-makers for managing processes of reconciliation. The index has since been adopted by USAID missions in Ukraine and Armenia, as well. I am very proud to have contributed to these efforts.

What are you most excited about that's coming up?

I love to get out to the field to see our work unfolding. One especially exciting opportunity coming up is an annual youth entrepreneurship event put on by our implementing partners, Junior Achievement/Worldwide and JA Europe. Young people from throughout the region will come together as future leaders to brainstorm potential solutions to real development challenges in the region. The creativity, enthusiasm, and collaboration on display is inspiring.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I have to admit, that I had trouble in coming up with a fun fact about myself (this is not to imply that I am no fun or don’t have fun!). So here is a factoid that few of my colleagues know about me. When I first considered my future profession, I decided to major in analytical chemistry because I wanted to have a solid background in understanding brain chemistry as a child psychologist.

What others say about Luba: Luba may have deeper technical expertise in more sectors than anyone else in the Agency. Her ability to serve as the bureau's leading expert on education, youth, gender, and human trafficking is both remarkable and a tribute to her professional and scholarly excellence. The depth and breadth of her expertise allows her to do something exceedingly valuable in development--identify emerging challenges. She can spot the dogs getting ready to bark, the land that is in danger of sliding, and the hazard around the bend in the road. She is a truly invaluable colleague.