On 11-12 February 2020 the joint Supervisory Board meeting was held in Osh for the projects on the integrated development of Osh province, developing of digital skills among youth and on climate resilience in Batken province funded by the Russian Federation through the Trust Fund “Russian Federation – UNDP for development” and implemented by UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The implementation of these projects meets the key priorities reflected in the initiative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic to announce this year as the Year of the regional development, digitalization and support for children.

Integrated development: Close partnership with local communities.

The three-year program “Integrated Development of Osh Oblast” with funding of $ 3.7 million was implemented in close cooperation with the leadership and local communities of Osh oblast in three pilot districts: Uzgen, Nookat and Kara-Kulzha. During this time, more than 193 thousand residents, including all members of the society in three pilot districts and local communities, became beneficiaries of the program results and 215 projects were launched in the amount of more than 3 million US dollars. In her welcoming speech, UNDP Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Louise Chamberlain, noted that the Trust Fund projects funded by the Russian Federation serve as an example of an integrated approach for the regional development.

«I am proud that we are assisting the Government of Kyrgyzstan in solving existing problems through the implementation of new solutions based on innovation, green technologies and involving local communities, the private sector and local authorities in accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Hundreds of jobs have been created, access to public services and their quality has been improved. We used innovative technologies to increase agricultural productivity and product processing. Implemented tourism development projects. People are given safe and improved access to drinking water. In partnership with migrant workers - residents of Osh Oblast, we improved social infrastructures such as kindergartens and street lighting. All this became possible with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund, in close partnership with the Government of Kyrgyzstan, the leadership of the Osh and Batken regions, local communities, and development partners. » - said Louis Chamberlain.

Digitalization and modern educational standards for youth

Digitalization and the promotion of youth employment in the digital economy are one of the key priorities of Kyrgyzstan and UNDP is taking significant steps to implement and integrate information technology in Kyrgyzstan, which, in turn, will open up new opportunities for young people in the rapidly developing modern world.

“We are working on recommendations for the National Strategy for the implementation of modern standards in youth education. Based on cooperation with the private sector, an ICT innovation center will be created in Osh with the possible expansion of services throughout the Ferghana Valley. To this end, assistance will be provided in creating human resources, including special training for more than 1000 young people, ”said Kanagat Alyshbaev, UNDP project coordinator for digital skills.

Climate change in the regions

UNDP worldwide provides support to more than 140 countries in the fight against climate change, including through the Global Climate Perspective initiative.

After ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2019, the Kyrgyz Republic joined the 184 countries that committed to keeping global warming below a safe level of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In Kyrgyzstan, from 2007 to 2015, the damage caused to infrastructure as a result of the climate disasters in Batken province amounted to more than 1.5 billion soms or 22 million US dollars. If not to work in this direction, climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of such disasters, high risks for people and increased material losses.

“We are expanding our efforts to adapt to climate change and increase resilience to climate change in agriculture by providing improved agroclimatic information, introducing new technologies for the efficient use and accounting of water, which will save about 11,000 m3 of irrigation water annually; as well as restoration and protection of on-farm irrigation systems, which will reduce the level of damage from hydrological emergencies on a total area of about 22,000 hectares and increase water availability by 13,000 hectares of irrigated land, "said Lira Zholdubaeva, coordinator of the project on strengthening climate resilience in Batken province.

“We are very pleased that regional development projects continue to be implemented in Batken province. We have great hopes for the Trust Fund project to strengthen resilience to climate change since today this problem is very relevant not only for our region but for the whole world, said Nazirov M., Economic Advisor to the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in Batken province.

During the second part of the Project Board meeting, the participants were invited to visit facilities and communities benefitted from the UNDP TFD project on the integrated development of Osh province. Among them: objects of socio-economic infrastructure and business in Osh and pilot municipalities of Uzgen district. The activities of the mobile hospital of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Center for Financial Literacy at the Osh Technological University (OshTU), and a honey packing workshop in Osh were demonstrated. In Uzgen district, participants got acquainted with the work of the Center for the provision of municipal services to the population, operating on the principle of a “single” window, the Family Medicine Center, which uses innovative ECG and AED cardio devices with a single server in the Osh Interregional Hospital, which allows to diagnose and get consultations from the specialists from the hospital in Osh hospital with the help of IT. The work of the training and production workshops of the vocational lyceum No. 62 located in Kurshab village have been also demonstrated.

Joint Project Board meetings are an important mechanism for monitoring and making necessary managerial decisions on the effective implementation of projects, approval of project plans and their changes follwoing the UNDP procedures and in close consultation with implementation partners.

“Holding meetings of the Supervisory Board allows participants to monitor the activities of the project, make recommendations to achieve better results. Today we demonstrated the results of the activities of three projects of the United Nations Development Programme, implemented in Osh and Batken regions. Together with our partners - the leaders of Osh and Batken provinces, we are actively working with local communities to implement the national priorities reflected in the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Kyrgyz Republic,” said Subankulova Mira, UNDP Osh Area Manager.

Technical information

A joint meeting of the Supervisory Boards of three projects funded by the Russian Federation and implemented by UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperation with national partners was held at the Office of the Plenipotentiary representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh oblast.

The meeting was attended by the first deputy of the Plenipotentiary representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh Oblast Yusupov Bayish Yusupovich, Economic Advisor to the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in Batken Oblast Nazirov Manas, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic Alybaev Avtandil Sheishenbekovich, Deputy Minister of Education and Science and Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic Omurov Nurlan Kubatbekov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in the Kyrgyz Republic Roman Svistin, UNDP Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic Louise Chamberlain, manager of the Trust Fund “The Russian Federation-UNDP” Alexander Anatolyevich Averchenkov, representatives of ministries and departments of the Kyrgyz Republic, local self-governments, development partners and the media.