UN and National Partners Complete First Round Of Consultations For Joint Work Until 2022

The period of 2020-2022 covers the second half of United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2018-2022, a major document signed in May 2017 by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations to guide the joint work and partnerships. 

As planned in the UNDAF, the UN plans to contribute about $230 million to Kyrgyzstan’s development within 2018-2022 through four main priorities with respective outcomes, identified jointly with the Government, the UN, civil society, and other development partners:

1. Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth: By 2022, inclusive and sustainable industrial, agricultural and rural development contribute to economic growth, decent work, improved livelihoods, food security and nutrition, especially among women and vulnerable groups.
2. Rule of Law and Good Governance: By 2022, institutions at all levels are more accountable and inclusive ensuring justice, human rights, gender equality and sustainable peace for all.
3. Environment, Climate Change, and Disaster Management: By 2022, communities are more resilient to climate and disaster risks and are engaged in sustainable and inclusive natural resource management and risk-informed development.
4. Social Protection, Health, and Education: By 2022, social protection, health and education systems are more effective and inclusive, and provide quality services.

The consultations, which began on 18 February 2020, will take place around each priority area involving respective ministries, government, CSOs and private sector and UN agencies. In addition to helping embed strategic development goals into the programmatic work, the exercise is aimed at strengthening cross sectoral coordination and identifying immediate indicators of joint UN-Government progress, which should serve as a compass throughout the period until 2022. During the consultations, the participants also refreshed their knowledge on result-based management with a view to leave no one behind and reach the farthest behind first. 

In addition to identifying joint priorities and work plans, the UN agencies, the ministries, and government agencies will discuss lessons learnt from the joint-work planning process in 2018-2019 and review the achieved results.

A co-chair of the result group I, Marat Yusupov, representative of UNIDO, discussed the results of the first half of UNDAF and stated that the joint commitment of UN Agencies in Kyrgyzstan has been critical in opening up a better dialogue among stakeholders and has ensured that each activity focuses on people - especially women, children and the most vulnerable. He noted that a three-fold approach to support people, institutions and policy makers contributes to economic growth, decent work, and promote labour opportunities.

 “It is a good opportunity for dialogue and to accelerate action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Jenty Kirsch-Wood, who co-chairs the result group on UNDAF priority II. As part of this priority area the UN worked for the benefit of key groups, including women, children, and vulnerable communities by supporting Kyrgyzstan in a wide range of development areas, including by helping the Parliament improve its oversight functions, strengthening rule of law and statistical capacity of state institutions and helping them better deliver their services to the whole population and improving engagement with vulnerable communities. 

In terms of priority III, the UN works with the partners to introduce key documents including a number of key documents in such areas as forestry development, protection of population from natural disasters, pasture management, while helping to restore over 7 thousand hectares of forest land, conducted emergency drills in 119 schools, and improved access to water for 115,300 women and men, and created over 200 demo plots on climate-friendly agriculture and innovative technologies.    

As for the priority IV, with the support of the UN during 2018-2020 Kyrgyzstan ratified the Convention on the rights of people with disabilities and became the first country which addressed statelessness by providing 13,700 people, including over 2,000 children with documents; over 20,000 people trained to consult vulnerable farmers.

The UN system in Kyrgyzstan will continue national consultations throughout March-April, 2020 with all stakeholders of the UNDAF. Once the joint work plans are finalized, they will be endorsed by the Joint Steering Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister and the UN Resident Coordinator, by June 2020.