Post COVID-19 Recovery for Informal Settlements in the UNECE region: City of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The Report on the Bishkek informal settlements was prepared by short-term consultant Ms. Nurzat Abdyrasylova as part of the project “Post COVID-19 Recovery in Informal Settlements in the ECE Region”. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of national and local governments in UNECE countries to address the needs of the most vulnerable people living in informal settlements. This would enhance socio-economic recovery following the pandemic and contribute to urban resilience in Bishkek. It will also build the capacity of local authorities for development of plans for recovery and upgrading informal settlements.

Given the limitations of time and scope, this report focuses on close analysis of five informal settlements in Bishkek: Archa-Beshik, Ak-Bosogo, Kalys-Ordo, Bakai-Ata and Ruhii Muras. It relies on reports, news reports and interviews held with the relevant representatives of the Majors office and Territorial Management Units of the Informal settlements. These interviews were held to find primary information about this under-researched topic. Five municipal officials and two NGO representatives with over 20 years of experience of work with new settlements were interviewed.