UNRC Ozonnia Ojielo: We welcome the directions articulated in the National Development Programme

On behalf of the United Nations System, I wish to thank the Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of Office of the President for the kind invitation extended to the United Nations to participate in this public dialogue.

1. Firstly, we wish to congratulate the government for the series of public consultations on the National Development Program (NDP) and the National Determined Contribution (NDC). Both documents are very well written and comprehensive. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the courage to capture in the analysis section of the NDP, the nature of the development challenges facing the country and to proffer cutting edge solutions for addressing them.  We have offered UN support to help develop the implementation plan of the NDP. We know that every issue mentioned in the NDP is important and is needed right now. We look forward to further engaging with the government on the priority areas to be further identified and to work together to mobilize support for their implementation.

2. Secondly, we wish to commend the national efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic. There are now multiple vaccines available. To strengthen and accelerate social and economic recovery and to prevent future variants, we now need to move aggressively on a communication campaign to get more citizens vaccinated. We look forward to working with Govt to increase the demand for vaccines as a matter of urgency.

3. Thirdly, we further wish to commend the government for its leadership in the celebration of International Human Rights Day through the statement of His Excellency the President, and for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence which commenced on 25 November. At all the events that took place since 25 November up to 10 December, high level government representatives participated actively and made firm commitments on the government’s determination not only to eliminate gender-based violence but to ensure the fullest protection of the rights of the citizen. I note in particular the statement of the Vice Chair of the Cabinet, H.E. Edil Baisalov, in Batken on 25th November at the launch of the 16 days of activism, “Whoever raises a hand against a woman will deal with the entire state and with all the force of the law”. It is now necessary for all the law enforcement organizations to give full effect to this official statement of the Vice Chair of the Cabinet. There is now a great opportunity for a new reset in the relationship between state institutions and all segments of society including civil society and other national stakeholders. A reset that should be hallmarked by the unclenching of fists by all protagonists, to open the palms for a handshake across any lines of division and underpinned by a spirit of consultation, collaboration and partnership. We call on leadership from all sides to make this happen.

4. We further wish to commend the President, H.E. Sadyr Nurgojoevich Japarov for rejecting for the third time, the draft law on trade unions. His Excellency restated the importance for any law on the trade union movement to be based on full consultation with the members of the union and on the ILO conventions and instruments which the Kyrgyz Republic has ratified. We agree. We wish to affirm the collaboration with the government through the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on the legal inventory process, to bring the identified 356 pieces of legislation into accord with the new constitution. This process managed by MoJ allows for the active participation of civil society and other stakeholders in the various work groups and to provide comments and recommendations on proposed new legislations or amendments. The mechanism also allows the trigger of a “red flag” process for additional consultations with the MoJ if any proposed legislation derogates from the Kyrgyz Republic’s commitments under international law.  It is important that the partnership established under the legal inventory process is continued and allows for the fullest participation and contributions of all segments of society.

5. There is no template for national development. National political, social and economic experiences differ, and these generally shape the national development trajectory. Advise may come from various local and international partners. They are welcome. Ultimately it is for the government to determine in consultation with its citizens the direction for the social and economic transformation of the country. In this connection, we welcome the directions you have articulated in the NDP. We also note the clear assertion of confidence in the direction in which you wish to take the country and the expression of your determination to lead. This will give confidence not only to potential international partners but more importantly to the citizens and to encourage them to work with the government towards the chosen directions. Embedding this confidence in the full observance of the rule of law, the protection of intellectual and other property rights and a fair and transparent dispute resolution system, can unleash the kinds of support, partnership and collaboration that the NDP requires to succeed.

6. There are many entry points for the social and economic transformation of Kyrgyzstan that have already been identified in the NDP. Permit me to mention four accelerators that can underpin the transformations that are urgently needed and which can create a cascade effect on other sectors:

A: Transformation of agriculture and agricultural value chains building on family holdings, SMEs, and graduating to industrial enterprises including investments in laboratory testing facilities, honey, meat, fruits and other agricultural investible areas, and leveraging the shifting demographics in the country so as to make agriculture interesting for young people and to strengthen food security and livelihoods. The NDC serves as an excellent complement to the NDP in the kinds of investments in this sector that can contribute to addressing issues of climate change, DRR, forestry and land management etc.

B: Energy transitions and reform. There is growing interest from local and external actors to engage in the energy sector. One recurring issue is the need for clear policy, legal and regulatory instruments for energy reform, transitions and transformation including the framework for power purchase agreements. This could have a massive impact on the country’s ability to address climate change issues, strengthen green approaches to economic development and create massive new jobs in new areas.

C. Investing in the human capital as a foundation of economic growth. The Kyrgyz Republic is at a unique stage in its demographic transition as almost half (48.8%) of the population is under the age of 25. 38% are children below 18. Demographic resilience, and human capital development will be central to structural social and economic transformation as 1 in five young persons in the age group 15-24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Linked to the issue of human capital development is the need for clear policy and legislative harmony and consensus on social protection and social assistance to bring all the various policy and legal streams together so that the population segments that are currently not receiving sufficient assistance or receiving insufficient assistance can begin to feel fully included in their national development. Let me mention here that one in 3 children currently live in poverty. If these children face important deprivations today, they will not be productive citizens tomorrow. We need to expand our investment in the next generation.

D. Gender equality which is critical to achieving a wide range of objectives pertaining to sustainable development. These include promoting economic growth and labour productivity, reducing poverty, enhancing human capital through health and education, attaining food security, addressing climate change impacts and strengthening resilience to disasters, and ensuring more peaceful and inclusive communities. Therefore accelerating gender equality in all spheres of society leads to a more rapid increase in progress towards achieving the NDP objectives in the framework of the 2030 Agenda.

All of these accelerators when underpinned by aggressive efforts at digitalization and innovation, and expanding the creative economy, can unleash the latent potentials of the Kyrgyzstani youth, and motivate them to remain in the country to exploit the emerging opportunities.

7. Implementation of the NDP will require radical reforms. Reforms are difficult to implement. They take time and require tough choices. More importantly they require political capital to succeed. Political capital is easier to expend if there is a culture of tolerance and a sense of national unity among political actors and broad sections of the public. In situations of political and social polarization, reforms are easier to implement if governance is approached with a focus on reconciliation. Political reconciliation does not eliminate political contestation. Rather, it welcomes it and then seeks to promote consensus among political actors on the rules of the game of politics and the boundaries of political behavior. All of this will contribute to a political culture that sustains and enables difficult reforms to be implemented. Clear signals on promoting this new culture from the government and from other political party leaders will go a long way in enabling the mobilization of the political capital needed for difficult reforms to take place.

8. The conclusion of the parliamentary election offers all stakeholders an opportunity to focus attention on the national development challenges so as to enable the country realize it’s development aspirations. The creation and facilitation of safe spaces for national and group dialogues on the realization of the national aspiration will be a crucial accelerant for the social and economic transformation that is just about to be unleashed. Today’s dialogue is one step in this positive direction. We congratulate the government and all the participants at today’s dialogue. The United Nations System in the Kyrgyz Republic re-affirms its commitment and determination to supporting the national development agenda, and we look forward to supporting the implementation of the NDP.

Chon rakhmat.

(PHOTOS)