UNRC Speech at UNDAF Strategic Coordination Meeting

His Excellency, Akylbek Usenbekovich Zhaparov, Chairman of The Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Administration of the President

Deputy Chairpersons of the Cabinet of Ministers

Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and other high-level government officials

Representatives and Heads of Agencies of the United Nations System in the Kyrgyz Republic

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning.

It gives me great pleasure to address you all in the context of this Strategic Coordination Meeting on the UN Development Assistance Framework in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Firstly, I want to congratulate His Excellency President Sadyr Nurgojoevich Zhaparov, the Cabinet of Ministers and the entire citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic on this joyous occasion of the 30th anniversary of the accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to membership of the United Nations. This milestone builds on the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Kyrgyz Republic last year. Later this afternoon, we shall gather at the Diplomatic Academy Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reflect on our journeys together these past 30 years, and to celebrate the impressive achievements of the Kyrgyz Republic during this period.

Secondly, I also want to congratulate the government for successfully sponsoring the adoption of a Resolution by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2021, which declared 2022 as the International Year for the Development of Mountain Societies. His Excellency Sadyr Nurgojoevich has also declared 2022, as “the Year of Mountain Ecosystems Protection and Climate Resilience in Kyrgyzstan”. The leadership of this issue by the Kyrgyz Republic and the declaration by His Excellency the President, recognize the importance of addressing the mega challenges to national socio-economic and structural transformation, if sustainable development is to be realized in our countries. As the government leads the global community in elaborating the elements of a plan of action to support mountain societies everywhere, please continue to count on the full support of the United Nations System in the elaboration and implementation of the plan.

Your Excellencies, over the last 18 months, the United Nations System in the Kyrgyz Republic worked closely with government counterparts from all state institutions to develop and agree on our Joint Work Plan for 2021-2022. The Joint Work Plan is the common framework for operationalizing the agreed strategic priorities and outcomes that underpin the UN’s contributions to the national development agenda. Given the transition to a new constitution and in the composition of the Cabinet of Ministers, it was not possible for this Strategic Coordination Committee to meet in 2021 to approve the Joint Work Plan 2021-2022. However, the Joint Work Plan was fully discussed and agreed with government counterparts at the technical level. We will therefore present to you the results of the work done together between national institutions and the UN System in 2021.

We will also present for your concurrence and endorsement, the Joint Work Plan for 2022. This work plan has benefitted from multiple levels of consultations with government counterparts at all levels, including a validation meeting in November 2021. While I request approval and concurrence of the Cabinet of Ministers to the Joint Work Plan 2022, I want to assure you Akylbek Usenbekovich and the Cabinet of Ministers that the UN System will continue to work very closely with government counterparts in the implementation of the Joint Work Plan 2022, and we will be ready to adapt or change elements of the plan at your request in response to any impact on the economy and society of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The final document to which I request the approval and concurrence of the Cabinet of Ministers is the Draft Priorities, Outcomes and Outputs for the next Kyrgyz Republic and the UN Cooperation Framework 2023-2027, which will also be presented shortly. The priorities, outcomes and outputs have been derived directly from the NDP 2021-2026, the Nationally Determined Contributions and other relevant national strategies and policy documents of the Kyrgyz Republic. At this point, I want to pay tribute to Mr. Almaz Isanov, his deputies and team and the various representatives of the ministers and state agencies who worked with us over several meetings to review these statements, to modify and re-formulate them to ensure that they speak to the needs and aspirations of the government and the people of the Kyrgyz Republic. What will be presented to you are the agreed priorities, outcomes and outputs through which the UN System hopes to contribute to the national transformation agenda.

The Kyrgyz Republic has big aspirations. These are well captured in the National Development Plan and its plan of action. These aspirations are further reflected in the government’s assurances that it will reach a mutually acceptable agreement with Centerra Gold based on the rule of law, to end the controversy over the ownership and operations of the Kumtor Gold Mine; the possibilities inherent in the Kyrgyz Zharany concept as an additional foundation for civic citizenship and belongingness; to strengthen the responsibilities of the state to promote, protect and sustain democratic governance, ensure the full and equal participation of women in decision making, and the full enjoyment of the social, economic, civil, political, cultural and environmental rights by all;  to grow the human capital through significant additional investments; the significant efforts being made to digitalize the operations of government and in service delivery; to significantly increase state revenues; to strengthen business, the private sector and agriculture; and to attract new investments to the country especially in renewable energy.

The United Nations System shares these aspirations with you. The priorities, outcomes and outputs we will approve today will enable us to support the Kyrgyz Republic in all these areas and more. We will walk with you as your companions as you strive to significantly transform this wonderful country. We will go out of our ways to attract finances and contributions through our own and from mobilized resources to support these efforts. In this connection, we already have a window that allowed us to raise significant financing through the Green Climate Fund project that was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization and agreed with your government. Permit me to use this platform Akylbek Usenbekovich to appeal for a timely conclusion of the signing and ratification of the agreement on this project. The deadline is 15th April, this year and it will be unfortunate if we lose the more than $30m that will come from this grant.

Chon Rahmat

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