In this issue:

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

• Public Hearings in Jalal-Abad
• Fourth edition of “Dialogue” published

WORLD BANK

• A Joint World Bank/Asian Development Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN (UNIFEM)

• Media Workshop on Gender, HIV and Human rights

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)

• United Buddy Bears in Berlin

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIETIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

• “Social Integration of Homeless, Working and Street Children” Training Seminar

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

Parliamentary Budget and Economic Policy committee hearings took place in Jalal-Abad on 2 August 2003 with support of UNDP.

The hearings focused on finance provision for the implementation of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) at the regional level. As a key programme for the development of Kyrgyzstan, the NPRS requires the budget as well as the entire economy to be geared towards the reduction of poverty.

Looking at the example of the province of Jalal-Abad, the parliamentarians discussed the implementation of the NPRS and its financing. Among these instruments, there are categorical and equalizing grants, as well as budgetary loans to the regions. Support is given to small towns and high-mountain regions, small and medium-size businesses. Also, it is now possible for state employees in the medical and educational fields to have their debts cleared off. This year, a new mechanism was created in the form of matching (motivational) grants, designed to encourage local initiatives.

In the course of the hearings, the methodological problem of how to calculate and measure poverty was also discussed. The regions frequently apply their own methods that do not correspond to the techniques suggested by the central government and donor organisations.

It was not just parliamentarians who attended the hearings, but also representatives of local administrations, financial structures, non-governmental organisations and local communities. They were given the opportunity to interact directly with the representatives of the central government. The attendees showed a keen interest in questions about funds to support the powers that had been devolved to local administrative and self-governance organs, such as the question of why these steps of local empowerment had not received any financial backing yet. They also inquired into the mechanisms for collecting taxes on property (the unrealistic collection deadlines), the high interest on bank credits (which prevent the poor from getting these), and shared grants (the question of whether local communities could provide the necessary input).

On the whole, as the chairman of the Budget and Economic Policy Committee Mr. Jenishbek Eshenkulov put it, the hearings proved to be helpful to all, both to the government and parliament and to the local authorities and non-governmental organisations. Representatives from the centre familiarized themselves with local problems brought to their attention not only by governors and akims, but also by specialists and ordinary citizens. For the attendees from the regions, in turn, as UNDP Adviser Talaibek Koichumanov remarked, the budgetary process became clearer and more transparent thanks to the information provided by the deputies and representatives from the Ministry for Finance. Jenishbek Eshenkulov was confident that the hearings will provide practical help to the implementation of a key national programme, particularly at the regional level. They will also improve the role of the budget in the development of the anti-poverty programme at the local level. This is of crucial importance given the imminent review of the current budget and the preparations for next year's budget that will commence in September.

For more information please contact: Ms. Dinara Rakhmanova, UNDP National Governance Programme Manager. Phone: (996 312) 66 46 34, 66 21 08. Email:

Fourth edition of UNDP the quarterly magazine “Dialogue” published recently.

The issue is fully devoted to microfinance mechanisms. Thus various schemes of micro crediting, its role in the process of poverty alleviation, as well as the role of the Government in supporting of microfinance agencies are very clearly described in details in Kyrgyz and Russian languages.

The chapter “Way to success” includes several success stories of people who were able to get out of poverty through active participation in various micro credits programs. The views of leading National and international experts and area specialists on advantages and risks in dealing with micro finance schemes are included into the edition and provide expert advice on how to use micro credits in the right way and avoid mistakes.

Photos and humour pictures of Mr. Emil Shukurov enriched the magazine and made it more attractive for readers. Currently the magazine is being distributed throughout the country to local administrations, non governmental and international organizations, Self-help Groups Associations and Community Based Organizations, research institutes, libraries, information centers, government agencies and Parliament of Kyrgyz Republic will get it.

For additional information please contact Olga Grebennikova, UNDP Public Relations Officer. Òål.: (0 996 312) 61 12 13. Fax: (0 996 312) 61 12 17. Email:

WORLD BANK

A Joint World Bank/Asian Development Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review.

A joint World Bank/Asian Development Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR) will take place in the Government House in Bishkek on 4 September 2003. The CPPR will provide an opportunity for the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to conduct a formal assessment of operations financed by the two banks in the country. The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Tanaev. Key line ministers and government executives will participate in the meeting. The World Bank will be represented by Dennis de Tray, Country Director, Chris Lovelace, Country Manager, and other officials.

The agenda for the CPPR includes a follow up on previously agreed actions, the current status of the portfolio, progress in project implementation, key project-specific and systemic issues that need to be focused on, and action plan and timetable for addressing identified issues. The CPPR will also examine the efficiency and effectiveness of the portfolio by looking at project performance both at the individual project level and across the portfolio.

The 2003 CPPR is a joint endeavor of the WB and the ADB, reflecting the need for increased donor coordination and harmonization of approaches in development projects. The meeting is a result of close coordination between the staff of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, other ministries, project implementation units, WB and ADB.

For additional information please contact Jyldyz Djakypova, External Affairs, WB Country Office in Bishkek, Phone: (996 312) 610 650; e-mail:

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN (UNIFEM)

An orientation workshop on Gender, HIV and Human rights within the UNIFEM Media Fellowship Programme was held on 2-3 August in ORYSAY Mountain camp for the journalists from northern provinces and Bishkek.

This is a second workshop organized by the UNIFEM project “Gender dimensions of the HIV/AIDS in Kyrgyzstan” which was conducted with the financial support of OSCE and the UNDP Joint programme on HIV/AIDS. Both print and TV/Radio journalists, active in covering gender, human rights and HIV prevention issues, participated in the workshop.

The main goal of the workshop was together with the journalists and gender specialists to develop specific media approaches in covering gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS and promoting human rights.

The workshop was opened by Mr. Bolot Djunusov, OSCE Public Relations/Media officer, who informed the participants about the OSCE mission in Kyrgyzstan. This first-hand information was very valuable for rural journalists.

The format of the workshop included practical sessions, brainstorming and role games, which let participants understand deeply the reasons and consequences of gender inequality, social norms and traditions impact that discriminate women’s rights. The participants actively expressed their positions and attitudes regarding the gender dimension of the HIV/AIDS, discussed and provided their appraisal on the results of the UNIFEM community based research on gender stereotypes that contributes to rural women’s vulnerability to HIV. The journalists found them very interesting and timely and, which is more valuable, they could easily use the report as resource materials in preparing media messages for the completion programme.

The video “Staining alive” produced by MTV aroused special interest among the journalists where in high professional and accessible way on the basis of human stories from different countries the problems of people living with HIV/IADS, the efforts and struggle for staining alive were brightly presented. Unfortunately, in communities there is a strong stigma and discrimination regarding the HIV and people living with HIV/AIDS. The role of the media is to break the barriers and change the society attitude to this issue, to increase tolerance and understanding.

The second day of the workshop was fully devoted to the practical work where the journalists developed communication strategy on promoting women’s rights and extension of HIV/AIDS preventive activities. The participants suggested their approaches in covering gender and HIV issues, developed slogans, key messages and topics of future TV/Radio and print messages. The special attention was given to discussions of the issues of early sexual education in rural community due to actual polemics regarding the appropriateness of introduction of the “Healthy lifestyle” subject as a mandatory at the secondary school system. The practical part of the workshop was facilitated by Michael Unland, UNV Specialist in Mass Media of the UNDP Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS in Kyrgyzstan.

The participants decided to consolidate their efforts and knowledge in media fellowship programme and expressed their wishes to the organizers of the workshop and UN agencies to pay more attention to the regional media. The conducting of such practical workshops for interested media during the competition programme allows evaluate, how the knowledge and skills in covering of the crucial problems (gender and HIV, human rights and tolerance) could be used by journalists in their work.

For the additional information, please contact Cholpon Asambaeva, UNIFEM Project manager “Gender dimension of HIV/AIDS in the Kyrgyz Republic”, tel: (996 312) 62 04 41, 62 04 45, e-mail:

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)

A Kyrgyz Buddy Bear in Berlin.

More than a hundred bears, painted by artists from all over the world, are being exhibited at the central square of Berlin, near the Branderburg Gates and globe. There is a Kyrgyz bear among them. It was drawn by one of talented painters of Kyrgyzstan, Honored Artist of the Republic Rifkat Bukharmetov. He became a participant of the UNICEF second international charitable event “United Buddy Bears 2003”, opened on July 29 in Berlin by heads and staff of foreign missions accredited in Germany, representatives of different ministries, departments, organizations, and German members of parliament. A special catalogue was published for this event with artists’ biographies and their concepts of drawing bears.

Rifkat Bukharmetov, used motives of his famous picture “The Dream”, which was given the highest award at the World Modern Art Exhibition in Los Angeles in May 1998. Bukharmetov described his creation this way, “My bear is as light as maternity. Children are an important part of people’s life in Kyrgyzstan, as well as in other countries. Friendliness and tolerance make a genetic nature of the Kyrgyz”.

The exhibition will work until November 2003. After its closing, all exhibits will tour 25 cities of the world. The tour will be over in New York City, where all bears will be sold at auctions, and proceeds will be used by UNICEF for projects supporting children.

This is a second charitable event, where Kyrgyz artists participate. People’s Artist Yuristanbek Shigaev represented Kyrgyzstan in the first exhibition “United Buddy Bears 2002” in Berlin.

For more information, please contact Galina Solodunova, UNICEF Assistant Communications Officer (996 312) 61 12 24, 61 12 25, 61 12 26. Email:

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIETIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Training Seminar “Social Integration of Homeless, Working and Street Children” takes place on 5 – 14 August 2003 in Bishkek and 17 – 25 September 2003 in Osh.

One of the serious consequences of the hard social-economic situation in Kyrgyzstan is an enormous growth of the number of homeless and neglected street children, who cannot afford sufficient food, education and whose life is often endangered by AIDS, drug abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and discrimination. In spite of the measures undertaken to improve the legislation, to create asylums and rehabilitation centers and the assistance of international organizations, the number of neglected children is steadily increasing. Today it is necessary to explore the reasons impeding practical implementation of the adopted laws, decisions, plans and projects and to assess the process of spending funds allocated by various organizations including international organizations.

At the initiative of the UNESCO Division of Human Rights and Fight against Discrimination the large-scale project “Poverty eradication through social integration of marginalized youth” has been launched in Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of this project the following activities are being carried out:

• The National scientific-practical conference “Problems of homeless, uncared and neglected children and the ways to solve these problems”, held in September 2002 in Bishkek;
• Sociological research on the problems of street children in Kyrgyzstan, carried out in March 2003;
• The Children Rehabilitation Centre “Ak-Kanat” was created in Jany-Jer village, Sokuluk rayon;
• A series of training seminars “Social integration of homeless, working and street children” will be held in August and September 2003 in Bishkek and Osh with the active support of the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office, National Commission for UNESCO, Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, and National and International NGOs.

The seminars have the aim to train Executive Secretaries of the Commissions for under-aged children, inspectors of childhood protection and social workers methods of work on identification of street children and their further arrangement.

The training seminars will focus on the following issues: legal protection of children rights in Kyrgyzstan, preventive work, identification of risk-group children and forms of urgent assistance to them, methods of psychological rehabilitation and social integration through vocational education programmes, successful practices in this field, partnership of governmental and non-governmental organizations.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Ulan Jumaliev, Programme Specialist, Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO. Tel: (0 996 312) 62 46 81, 62 66 36 Email: