UNODC supports Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior in new Anti-Drug Law Development

The draft Law was developed by the UNODC experts jointly with the working group members.

The current acting law is 20 years old. It was adopted in 1998 and according to Mr. Bakyt Matmusaev, Head of the Counter Narcotics Service (CNS) of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior – “the current law is already outdated and does not meet modern requirements, so there was a need to improve this law, despite the fact changes were introduced to it”. "The development of the draft law is also important in connection with the need to implement a number of new Codes of the Kyrgyz Republic, which will come into effect on 01 January 2019," he added.

"UNODC provides comprehensive support to the efforts of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to ensure a national drug control regime, in conjunction with recently initiated Law Enforcement reform. Our experts have done a tremendous job in analyzing the current legislation with the legal and regulatory framework of both the Kyrgyz Republic and the international one. They were tasked to analyze and bring the law in line with all three UN drug control conventions – from the 61-st year, the 71-st and 88-th years, and provide recommendations”, said Mr. Yusuf Kurbonov, International Programme Coordinator, UNODC in Central Asia.

This work is conducted in accordance with the decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic on the implementation of the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedural Codes of the Kyrgyz Republic No.120 as of 14 April 2017 and the decision of the State Coordinating Committee on Drug Control as of 28 June 2018.

UNODC experts conducted analysis of the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic and made proposals related to the establishment / determining of the volume of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors for qualification purposes in conjunction with committed offenses and crimes.

The draft resolution of the Kyrgyz Government on National Lists of narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursors and their volume, influencing the qualification of offenses/crimes under the Criminal Code and codes on violations and misdemeanors was also considered as part of the interagency working group meeting.

As a result, new version of the law with recommendations has been submitted to the CNS for further submission to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic for consideration.

This activity is a part of the UNODC project on Support to Drug Control issues of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2015-2019 with US$2.7 million contribution from the Government of Japan.