UN Women improved access to irrigation water for over 20000 water users with over 3000 from vulnerable groups in Kyrgyzstan
31 May 2018
- The Finland-funded Livelihoods Through Participation and Equal Access to Water project improved access to water resources in seven municipalities in Kyrgyzstan. Thus, a new model integrating local self-government, water users’ associations, schools and vulnerable women towards ensuring access of everyone to irrigation water and school children to running water in schools is up and running. The project enhanced UN Women’s e-governance suite that helps local self-government provide services more effectively and efficiently to citizens and is being considered by central government to be integral part of the national e-governance system. The focus on life- and livelihoods skills of secondary school children helps prevent early marriage, domestic violence and the de-population of villages of young people, providing alternatives to migration.
The female head of local self-government Ms. Roza Shamaeva underscored the uniqueness of the project that consolidated the entire community of Naiman village to promote gender equality and work to empower women and girls around water issues, including equal access to water and efficient use of water in their communities.
“It is exciting to note that the project engaged young people in important activities that develop life skills in the household and the village. And they are actively shaping knowledge about how to be a good citizen, based on respect for diversity; promote gender equality by involving women and youth in all aspects of social and economic life, promote the realization of economic rights,” stated Gerald Gunther, UN Women Representative in Kyrgyzstan.
Accordingly, more than 4,000 young people from the local communities acquired advocacy skills on gender equality issues and conducted advocacy campaigns for over 30,000 people from local communities on equal access and efficient use of natural resources.
These and other results and lessons learned of the project were discussed by heads of local self-governments, local councils, heads and school students of local educational institutions, Water Users Associations as well as UN Women staff on 18-19 May 2018 during the site visits in Naiman and Uch-Korgon villages of the southern villages of Kyrgyzstan.
The joint efforts of UN Women Country Office in Kyrgyzstan, Jalal-Abad Rural Advisory Service and Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in improving access to natural resources by vulnerable groups, including women and youth, would not have been possible without the financial support of the Government of Finland which allocated Euro 1 million for the project with a smaller amount added by UN Women.
The participants also familiarized themselves with the “Aimak” e-governance system in Naiman village. Aimak works with digitalized household books to generate various statistics reports disaggregated by sex, social status, and age and as well as various certification documents required to apply for social allowances or identity papers. Aimak provides the local component for the national e-governance system and will help with SDG localization and reporting. Aimak was also used in the project to ensure equal access to water.
With a strategy of leaving no one behind, the project aimed at strengthening and creating opportunities for vulnerable people, women and youth, to participate in fair and equitable distribution of water resources and to use effectively natural resources, namely land and water for sustainable and successful agriculture.
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