Bishkek, 20 April – Today UNDP with the Institute of Ombudsman and Association of Legal Clinics of Kyrgyzstan conducted a round table on new approaches in ensuring human rights protection during the pandemic to consolidate and unite parties that work in the sphere of human rights, as well as to exchange information and discuss digital technologies as a tool for advanced protection of human rights during crises and challenging times.

In his welcoming speech, Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic Tokon Mamytov said: "Thanks to more active and widespread use of modern Internet technologies in our work, the staff of the Kyrgyz Republic Ombudsman Institution during the current pandemic can protect the constitutional rights and freedoms of Kyrgyz citizens without reducing the speed or quality of our assistance and the level of advice on legal issues. I believe that the experience of last year and today's meeting will allow all of us - state and international human rights defenders, as well as representatives of human rights NGOs in Kyrgyzstan - to act more coherently, quickly, harmoniously, understanding, and consensus both with each other personally and with the organizations that we represent. I am convinced that this will benefit all of us, and most importantly - will provide our citizens with additional guarantees and real help in solving their legal issues."

This round table was initiated by the Akyikatchy Institute (Ombudsman) of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Association of Legal Clinics of Kyrgyzstan under the UNDP project "Support for an Inclusive and Multisectoral Response to COVID-19 and its socioeconomic Impact in the Kyrgyz Republic" with the financial support of the Government of Japan. 

One of the main pillars of Japan's Official Development Assistance in Kyrgyzstan is based on the concept of "Human Security," which UNDP first advocated in 1994. “Human security aims to protect people from critical and pervasive threats to human lives, livelihoods and dignity, and to enhance human fulfillment. For these objectives, human security tries to integrate and strengthen initiatives that emphasize human-centered perspectives”, Ambassador Shigeki Maeda said at the roundtable.

One of the key moments of the event was the presentation of the legal chatbot "Akyikatchy-bot 115.” This chatbot was launched in the Telegram messenger, which allows citizens to receive information on the most frequently asked questions and apply online appeals. Based on the appeals received, the interactive chatbot provides relevant information in Kyrgyz and the Russian language. The chatbot is a new free information resource to expand the opportunities to contact the Institution of the Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, which becomes even more relevant in the conditions of the pandemic.

As UNDP Resident Representative in Kyrgyzstan Louise Chamberlain noted: The pandemic hit Kyrgyzstan hard, not only by its impact on health, but triggering an unprecedented socio-economic crisis, that fast became also a human rights crisis. Many people suffered from a lack of access to critical services at a time of crisis, and others suffered stigma and discrimination in accessing vital health care or trying to cope with economic shocks to their families, especially where one or more members lost their incomes. What has been encouraging however, is the opportunity of crisis as a tool for innovation and adoption of innovative digital tools. As digital platforms have become the new “public square”, new technologies have created additional spaces for exchange, mobilization and participation. In this regard, by recognizing the need for leveraging these new, accessible and safe technologies,  we congratulate you on the launching of the legal chatbot Akyikatchy-bot 115, which we expect to become an important tool for effectively increase public participation and access to legal and human rights information in this new environment.

According to the results of the round table, the representatives expressed their intention to further develop cooperation and to conduct regular exchanges of information and experience.

Additionally, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, free legal advice through the hotline 112 (Unified Emergency Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic) was launched jointly with the Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of Justice with the support of the Government of Finland, where citizens can get free legal advice in three languages - Kyrgyz, Russian and English. Legal assistance through the hotline was immediately set up in May 2020 to respond to legal needs during the pandemic. 1598 people received legal consultations through this hotline between 1 May 2020 and 31 March 2021.  

An extensive informational campaign on "Emergency and Human Rights" was conducted.

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Contacts for media: Ainagul |Abdrakhmanova, UNDP Communications Officer 77075576