Since 1997, major ABA projects in Tajikistan have included: assisting in conducting the country's first parliamentary public hearing; conducting substantive training for lawyers and judges on criminal justice reform; assisting in the first-ever publication of a judicial bulletin by the Association of Judges of the Republic of Tajikistan; supporting a cross-border project in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan that seeks to advance citizens' rights by promoting the development of public interest advocates and initiatives in the Ferghana Valley; establishing a nongovernmental organization (NGO) to provide legal consultations to indigent women; launching a legal externship program with local NGOs; and, initiating a training series to develop local government capacity.