ACCELS press-release about their closure

ACCELS web-site May 31 On May 29 the Municipal Court of the City of Tashkent notified American Councils that the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan has instituted proceedings to liquidate the organization's representative office there. American Councils has prepared a legal response to the charges raised against the organization. A hearing has been set for June 1. Regardless of the outcome of the hearing, American Councils (ACCELS) has been honored to work in Uzbekistan for the past 14 years with Uzbek scholars and teachers at all levels, and with more than 2,700 talented Uzbek high school and university students, teachers, and professionals, who successfully competed for positions in ACCELS-administered exchange programs in the U.S. Uzbek alumni of ACCELS programs have consistently represented their country with distinction and academic diligence during their stays in the U.S. They have returned home to Uzbekistan to contribute to education, science, business, and the improvement of society in countless ways. Since 1992, American Councils (ACCELS) has enjoyed a positive and productive relationship with the people and the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan. A wide range of ACCELS programs, administered on behalf of the governments of the United States and of Uzbekistan, as well as the World Bank, the Umid Foundation, and the Ustoz Foundation, have contributed to mutual understanding, benefited research, professional development, and scholarship in both countries, and helped Americans and Uzbeks better to understand one another's history and culture. These values and life skills have never been more needed in our respective countries than today.