KYRGYZSTAN SELECTED AS A PILOT COUNTRY FOR THE UNDP/UNEP “POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT” INITIATIVE

UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava held its first mission in Kyrgyzstan from 2-4 March to carry out a preliminary analysis of the country capacity for implementing of a new “Poverty and Environment” Initiative.

The mission members have had a number of meetings at the highest government level with Vice-Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh Ch. Baekova, Vice-Prime Minister U. Abdullaeva, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Akylbek Japarov, Head of Social and Economic Department of KR Presidential Administration L. Orozbaeva, representatives of National Agency for Local Self-Governance Affairs, State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry, Ministry of Finance and other institutions.

The main goal of the mission is to find the potential starting points for integration of the Poverty and Environment Initiative into national and regional development strategies. Experts from Bratislava were particularly interested at which stage was the preparation of the long-term national development strategy (till 2020), how the preparation process was going and what can do the Initiative in identifying the interests of local participants, forming and funding of local cross-sectoral consultants.

A special interest of the mission was focused on the existing state of environmental assessment and environmental management systems , as well as the activities (past, ongoing and future) on comprehensive consideration of poverty and environment issues.

Representatives of civil society and experts working in poverty and environment areas have shown big interest in this new for Kyrgyzstan direction, as these two areas of state policy have not until now been considered with a single approach in strategic planning at all levels.

Additional information:

Regional UNDP/UNEP initiative “Poverty and Environment” started with the inception workshop in Bratislava, December 2008. The delegation from Kyrgyzstan was represented by the KR Vice-Speaker Ch. Baekova, Minister of Economic Development and Trade A. Japarov, State Secretary of the State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry A. Chyngojoev and a representative of the National Agency for Self-Governance Affairs, who presented Kyrgyzstan’s potential and the reasons for inclusion of Kyrgyzstan in this initiative. Minister of Economic Development A. Japarov, speaking at the inception workshop in Bratislava highlighted that poverty and environment issues were very important for Kyrgyzstan and noted: “Presently 35% of the country population earns less than 25 dollars monthly. Therefore poverty is a key problem in Kyrgyzstan, which results in irrational and very often illegal use of natural resources, such as illegal logging, overgrazing and overexploitation of arable forests. At the same time the poor population of the country increasingly recognizes the importance of environment for the well being of humanity. And the need for environmentally sustainable development was identified in the Country Development Strategy till 2011, which sets the goal to improve the quality of peoples lives through the economic growth, better management and state of environment.

Source: CARNet, 11.03.2009