The Ferghana Valley region of Central Asia cuts across the three newly independent states of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and is one of the most densely populated and volatile areas of the former Soviet Union. Regional tensions arise from ethnic, religious, environmental, and economic problems. The CPA Ferghana Valley Working Group was formed to assess the potential for future conflict in the region and to suggest ways to move the region in the direction of economic and political reform and stability. A delegation of the working group visited the region in March 1997, met with a wide range of actors, and has prepared a report based on its findings. The report, "Stabilizing the Ferghana Valley: Promoting Peace in Central Asia," was released in November 1999 at a conference in Washington, D.C., cosponsored with the Open Society Institute of the Soros Foundation.