Alumni Articles
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In June 2001 he completed successfully the FSA 2001 Contemporary
Issues Fellowship Program sponsored by the Department of State
and administered by IREX. His field of research was “Political,
Military, Security and Public Issues in the NIS Countries”.
The main topic of his research activity during the stay in
the USA was - “Civil-Military Relations and Democratic Control
Over the Military Sphere in the NIS”.
The work in the United States has given a wonderful opportunity
to almost complete his research goals in the field of civil
military relations and democratic control over armed forces,
as one of the main elements of the democratization of the
post communist countries. The informational resources of the
hosting institution of the Georgetown University allowed him
to work very intensively and to form a large database concerning
the research issues.
The immediate follow up of this activity has been the International
Seminar entitled “Stock-Taking Study: Democratic Accountability
of Military in Moldova” organized together with the Geneva
Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) held
in Chisinau in July 2001. On February 2002 in his capacity
of the Director of the Euro-Atlantic Center of Moldova, he
was actively involved in the organization of the International
Workshop “Security Sector Reform and Democratic Control of
Armed Forces in Moldova” co-sponsored by DCAF.
During 2002-2003 as expert in the democratization of the
post-soviet military he has been involved in several regional
research projects. The First one called Transparency Building
Project – South Easter Europe (TBD-SEE) was conducted under
the guidance of the Center for European Security Studies of
the Groningen University, the Netherlands. The second entitled
“Democracy and Security Sector Reform” has been implemented
in co-operation with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic
Control of Armed Forces. Its end product will be the book
on the current situation in this field in Moldova and the
perspectives of democratic reformation of the security sector
that should appear by autumn. The third research project was
“Enhancing Security in South Eastern Europe” and has been
realized in partnership with the colleagues from the countries
of Central and Eastern Europe.
Since his return from the USA, he participated in several
international conferences, seminars and workshops. The most
interesting and instructive were the 5th International Security
Forum (ISF) in Zurich, 14-16 October 2002; Partnership for
Peace Consortium Meeting in Vienna, Austria, November 4–5,
2002; International Seminar “Extending Security Co-Operation
and defense Arrangements in South-Eastern Europe”, Ljubljana,
Slovenia, October 2002; Partnership for Peace Consortium Security
Sector Reform Working Group Meeting in Rome, Italy, 7-8 April
2003.
He believes that his studies in the United States and his
work at the host institution were very productive and helped
him a lot in his professional development as well as in a
better understanding of current political, social, and cultural
development of the Moldo-American relations. His main occupation
in Moldova continues to be related to the Euro-Atlantic Center
for political and international studies focused on the further
democratization of Moldovan society mainly through more efficient
activity of the institutions and organizations of the Civil
Society. In this context the collaborative work with the colleagues
from the USA from think tanks, independent research institutes
and centers can be very useful and challenging due to the
recent political evolutions in his country.
Stela Corobceanu believes that the main asset that she gained
during the IREX program is the development of the professional
network, and the continuous improvement lifestyle.
She is very grateful to the host institution at Georgetown
University and all the people, whom she has met during the
stay in the United States for the generous help and assistance
provided in the research work. “There is no doubt that the
fellowship program is implemented successfully by both sides
–she says,- it is a great capacity building program for fellows
and plus, it offers access to information, fresh views and
concrete business links, developed by American people, interested
in doing business or maintaining cultural links with different
countries”.
Contacts, established during this program gave her a unique
opportunity to increase acknowledgment of Moldova and to invite
potential partners to work closely with Moldovan governmental
agencies, private organizations and multilateral institutions.
Having attended different conferences, she had the possibility
to present some investment projects that can be developed
with USA partners. These projects were focused on a wide range
of sectors — financial, tourism, transportation, agribusiness,
power, construction and manufacturing, presenting interesting
opportunities for potential investors to participate in a
privatization process, in expansions and modernizations of
existing plants and/or Industrial Parks, opening new businesses.
The most tangible result of this work was a business mission
to Moldova (September 2001) followed by the visit of the Moldovan
entrepreneurs (May 2002) to US. These activities were a logical
extension of the successful Symposium organized in Winston-
Salem on May 17th, 2001.
The project also gives access to an enormous amount of information
available at libraries. Thus the most interesting publications
of the internationally recognized experts, which are instrumental
in the development of the study, allowed to form a large database
of research issues.
The IREX program gave her an opportunity to complement an
executive working experience in various economic areas with
an up-to-date university training. The information, she accumulated
in the USA and the reassessment of the power of knowledge
that was strongly perceived during the study, drives her to
undertake the PhD degree in the nearest future.
She is especially thankful to the IREX administration: ”The
Program that is professionally and competently run,” she says.
“It is an excellent approach, when a fellow has the opportunity
to organize on his/her own the research and other activities
according to the specific goals of the fellowship with the
appropriate support of the IREX team. The main advice for
new fellows is to be ready for dynamic and self-governing
work during the stay in the USA, based on a real action plan,
developed before the fellowship starts.”
After having attended IREX research program at the University
of Michigan Mr. Usatii undertook the following activities:
• He has developed the legislation of Compulsory Health Care
Insurance in Moldova;
• Anderi Usatii developed and implemented the project of Primary
Health Care in the country;
• as well he organized 12 regional workshops with the local
health authorities (directors of local health departments,
directors of hospitals, managers of primary health care system)
in order to teach them new methods and conceptions of financing
Health Care System in Moldova. During the above mentioned
workshops 127 professionals were trained;
• Mr. Usatii has organized the seminar for the Medical State
University and the Ministry of Health staff with the generic
“Health Care System Reforms in Eastern European Countries
and former Soviet Countries”
In May 2001 after the changing of the members of government
he started working as a medical coordinator at Swiss Department
for Development and Cooperation in Moldova. The target activities
are: health promotion and diseases prevention, public health
intervention and training of medical personnel in primary
health care system.
Diana Levcenco is a participant in the Contemporary Issues
Fellowship Program 2001. She had been hosted at the World
Council of Credit Unions in Washington DC. During the program
she established good relations with colleagues from WOCCU,
Florida CU League, CFHCCU and gained a great experience from
credit union’ activity. Diana shares this experience in her
work as a financial director of the first and still the unique
CU in Moldova and as a doctoral student in Management at the
Academy of Economic Sciences of Moldova.
Today there are only savings and loan associations for farmers
in Moldova, this cannot have a substantial influence on the
economy. Diana hopes tat her valuable experience will help
to create enabling legislation and establish the credit union
movement in Moldova. She has participated in different round
tables, seminars and conferences related to micro financing
and will be glad to participate in any American-Moldovan projects
in the field of credit unions activity and micro financing.
Together with her sister, Carolina Levcenco, a participant
of Community Connections Program, she created the Association
Four “H”, where they are sharing the American experience with
women and young people in Leova. This association is still
the first one in Moldova.
After having completed her fellowship in the USA Larisa Miculet
was promoted to Head of Financial –Economic Investigation
Department in the General Prosecutor’s Office of Moldova.
As well, she was nominated by the Government as a High-Level
Representative of Moldova to Stability Pact Initiative on
Combating Organized Crime. The Parliament of Moldova elected
her as a member of the General Prosecutor’s Office Board.
In tight connection with representatives of Department of
Treasure Mrs. Miculet promoted the Law on money laundering
in Moldova. She elaborated and promoted many well-grounded
proposals for improving the national legislation on fighting
with corruption, organized crimes and white collar crimes.
On behalf of the Government Ms. Miculet successfully fulfilled
many responsible international missions:
• She represented the Government as a national expert at the
Deputy Minister’s Committee Meeting chaired by the General
Secretary of Council of Europe – Mr. Walter Swimmer (France,
April 2002);
• Larisa Miculet was a representative of the Government at
Stability Pact Anti-Corruption Initiative Steering Group Meeting
(Washington, April 2002).
• She coordinated and implemented many projects launched by
the Stability Pact, Council of Europe concerning fighting
against corruption, organized crimes.
• Prepared and published a report “The Implementation of
the Stability Pact Initiative on Combating Organized Crime
in Moldova”.
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