# 136
June 04, 2001
In this issue:
EVENT OF THE MONTH
- Mr. Ercan Murat Returns to Kyrgyzstan as UN Resident Coordinator
ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
- The study tour for local journalists to Osh province
ENVIRONMENT
- Training – workshop “Increasing Capacity of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, agencies and NGOs in formulation and implementation of GEF projects and initiatives” in Bishkek
HEALTHCARE
- National Conference on the National Drug Policy issues
- National Conference on Nursing policy
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Update on Counterpart Consortium/USAID/UN/EU-Supported NGO activities
EVENT OF THE MONTH
Ercan Murat Returns to Kyrgyzstan as UN Resident Coordinator. The United Nations Secretary General and UNDP Administrator in a recent decision appointed Mr. Ercan Murat as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Kyrgyzstan. Mr. Murat who will assume his duties in Bishkek on 6 June 2001, is not a new-comer to Kyrgyzstan. He founded UNDP office in Kyrgyzstan back in 1993 and had worked in the country till 1997. Under his guidance as UN Resident Coordinator, the first Country Cooperation Framework was formulated. Furthermore, during his tenure, Mr. Murat laid down the foundation of the major UNDP programmes covering poverty alleviation and crime prevention and launched the first HIV/AIDS programme in the Central Asian region. One of Mr. Murat’s major contributions to Kyrgyzstan’s development was the design of the Sustainable Human Development (SHD) Strategy, a document that has been the basis for a set of national developmental programmes and has had a major impact on the elaboration of Country Cooperation Framework and National Poverty Eradication Strategy. Mr. Murat established a solid basis for successful UNDP programme implementation in Kyrgyzstan that relies on close interaction with the Government. He was awarded an Honorary Diploma signed by President of Kyrgyzstan Mr. Askar Akayev (1997) and Kyrgyzstan Man of the Year Prize (1995) for his exceptional contribution to the country’s development. A native of Turkey, Mr. Murat has had a long years of experience with the UN System, in particular, with UNDP since 1964. In his previous assignments he served among other countries, in Turkey, Switzerland, Libya, Bangladesh, the United States and his last post before coming to Kyrgyzstan was United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan. Born in 1943, Mr. Murat holds degrees in Law from the University of Ankara and in International Economics from the Turkish Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the New York University. Mr Murat is arriving in Bishkek (Manas Airport) on the morning of Wednesday, 6 June from Istanbul.
ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The study tour to Osh province for local journalists held on 30th May – 2nd June 2001 within the framework of the UNDP “Advocacy for Human Development” project. The trip was undertaken to see the progress of the Decentralization and Poverty Alleviation programs jointly implemented in the municipality of Korul (Alai district) since the group of local journalists visited the villages first time in October 1999. In addition to the journalists whom one can count as UNDP Change Agents for their permanent participation in the UNDP supported trips to the grassroots level (Elena Skorodumova of the most popular newspaper ‘Vecherny Bishkek’, Dmitry Schudro of the nationally circulated ‘Slovo Kyrgyzstana’, Rakhat Keneshova of the National Kyrgyz Radio and Tatiana Mordacheva of CIS ‘Mir’ TV/Radio company and the English-language weekly The Times of Central Asia) and who received the training on Human Development issues in October 2000, new journalists were involved. The group included representatives of the popular analytical magazine ‘AKIpress’, newly established and becoming more and more popular ‘Moskovski Kosomoletc’ newspaper and a ‘Komsomolskaya Pravda’ photographer. To compare the changes in the villages visited, copies of articles published in mass media after the trip in October 1999 were distributed among Bishkek’s journalists as well as the Osh media representatives. In order to achieve goals of the trip and to see the changes in people’s attitude, meetings with United Nation volunteers, local administrations, rural activists, leaders of Self-Help Groups and Community Based Organizations took place in Alai District Administration, Korul, ‘Ken-Jylga’ and ‘1st May’ villages were conducted. On the way back to Osh the mission surprisingly met a group of rural people, who cleaned the irrigation system in their village without any help of local administrations or donors. The leader of the group with whom the journalists communicated when the cars stopped said that they initiated this project themselves and worked together because they believe in future support after the initiative is realized.
During the whole trip Ms. Olga Grebennikova, UNDP Public Affairs Officer and Ms. Asel Sekimova, Public Relations and Information Management Assistant have communicated with the party informally providing them with goals of reprogramming in the UNDP activities in Kyrgyzstan, highlighting the main principles of UNDP’s approaches to support the initiative of rural people, to give them firm confidence in themselves, in their own strengths to change their lives and motivate journalists to participate in dialogue on Human Development.
To see the UNFPA programs in Osh province was another goal of the press trip. This part of the program was accompanied by the UNFPA focal point in Osh Ms. Sairakan Jumalieva and technically supported by the UNFPA office in Bishkek. The group of journalists visited several villages in Uzgen district to meet people who get assistance of the social patronage system supported by UNFPA, to see the activities of primary medical organizations in villages and to speak with local staff. The party also visited the Osh Medical Center to brief of the work done and plans for the future.
Contact: Ms. Olga Grebennikova, UNDP Public Affairs Officer. UN House, 160, Chui Avenue, Bishkek. Tel.: +996 (312) 61-12-13, 61-12-11 (180). Fax: +996 (312) 61-12-17. Email:
ENVIRONMENT
Training – workshop “Increasing Capacity of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, agencies and NGOs in formulation and implementation of GEF projects and initiatives” took place on May, 21-22, 2001 in Bishkek. The training – workshop has been conducted in the framework of the GEF initiative ‘Support of GEF Operational Focal Point’. The objective of the seminar was to increase awareness of the staff of the Ministry of Ecology and Emergencies, other ministries, agencies, and NGOs and to explore the ways to effectively use the mechanisms of cooperation with GEF in the process of formulation of projects. Representatives of central executives bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic, NGOs and UNDP participated in the training – workshop. First Deputy Minister of Ecology and Emergencies facilitated the workshop jointly with Kyrgyz and Kazakh UNDP representatives. The first day of the workshop was devoted to the general issues of getting acquainted with GEF activities, explaining rules and procedures, sharing lessons learnt between Kazakh and Kyrgyz experts. Next day, the participants elaborated relevant approaches to prepare efficient project proposals and applications, while practicing the formulation of model projects. At the end of the second day, during discussions, participants of the training – workshop have agreed on the following decisions:
- To support the initiative of holding a joint international and inter-agency training – workshops on the development of international environmental cooperation on regular basis;
- To recommend to the central executing bodies to ensure follow-up on the training -seminar in order to maintain effectiveness of forthcoming workshops. To support and develop a network among participants of the seminar to strengthen international environmental co-operation;
- To promote close coordination among central and local administrations by formulating and implementing GEF projects and to learn possibilities to create interagency GEF working groups to address the existing problems;
- To recommend to international organizations (including financial) to take notice of the funds allocated in local and national budgets for environmental protection programmes to co-finance ecological projects, including those financed by GEF.
Contact: Mr. Adilet Abdybekov, UNDP program associate. UN House, 160 Chui Avenue, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Tel.: +996 (312) 61-12-13. Fax: +996 (312) 61-12-17. Email:
HEALTHCARE
Within the framework of the WHO cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in the drug policy, the National Conference on the National Drug Policy issues for the Ministry of Health representatives was conducted on 1st June, 2001 at the Hotel “Issyk Kul”. The Ministry of Health and the WHO/EURO supported the Conference. The main scope of meeting is to sum up the results of the National Drug Policy implementation adopted in 1998 and the development of proposals and additions to the National Drug document. Such issues as the accessibility of drug, the quality and rational drug use, the reforming of medical, pharmaceutical and postgraduate education were discussed during the Conference. The results of discussion will be brought into the final document on National Drug policy and in the new plan of its realization the coming years. The deputies of legislative assembly and assemblies of the national representatives of Jogorku Kenesh, representatives of the World Bank, USAID, UNFPA, medical and pharmaceutical companies took part in the meeting.
The National Conference on Nursing policy for the Ministry of Health representatives took place on 1-2 June 2001 at the Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University. The event was initiated by WHO/EURO and the Ministry of Health and focused on presentation of the experience of European countries in Nursing reforming and on discussions of the further steps of the National Programme on Nursing and Obstetrics. Such important issues as the nursing component in the health care reform, the nursing education, the conception of the new family nursing model on the base of the best WHO recommendations were actively discussed during the Conference. The WHO/EURO consultants on Nursing provided their practical skills and recommendations to the participants on nursing education and activities.
Contact: Ms. Cholpon Asanbaeva, NPO, WHO. 62 Toktogul Street, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Tel.: (996 312) 29-87-98, 29-87-91. Fax: (996 312) 68-09-40. Email:
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
Update on Counterpart Consortium/USAID/UN/EU-Supported NGO activities. Conducting Participatory Community Appraisal (PCA) in the residential area "Archa-Beshik- 3". The representatives of the several NGOs - the target groups of the Civil Society Support Center (CSSC), established on the basis of the International Center InterBilim on January 2001, were engaged in revealing the community problems. The meeting was held in the frames of the Counterpart Consortium program third phase " Community Mobilization", financed by USAID. The surveyors passed PCA training facilitated by the Civil Society Support Center in Bishkek and received the necessary information and obtained skills of making need assessment before starting the work in the district. The PCA plan was made before beginning the survey. The preliminary information about the district was provided by the members of the Bishkek NGO "Arysh" of the community in the newly built residential area. The residential area "Archa-Beshik- 3" began to be inhabited since 1993. The huge problems are connected with the lack of water and light. Diseases among children and mother have been increasing. The reason is the lack of hospital and drugstore. Having taken part in the joint work on making needs assessment, 85 inhabitants of the residential area actively participated in PCA and came to the conclusion, that it was necessary for them to be more active in solution of their problems. After conducting ÐÑÀ the surveyors prepared the report on the participatory need assessment of the community in the newly built residential area.
The first TV Round Table devoted to street children was held in the State TV program "Zamana" on May 31, 2001. The goal of the dialogue is the search of the ways to solve the existing problems. During the dialogue the following issues were raised: whether the problem of street children can be solved during the short period, what the state and public organizations were planning to contribute for the street children during this summer, what category of children was mostly suffered from violence etc. Based on principles of social partnership, the facilitators of TV meeting – the Bishkek Civil Society Support Center/International Centre "InterBilim" and studio "Zamana" – invited the representatives of the Center of Children's Protection, Inspectorate on Juvenile Affairs (the Ministry of Internal Affairs), Children's Center "Moltur-Koz" and European Children's Fund. The organizers planned to have similar dialogues involving the interested parties in the future. Contact: Elena Voronina, Public Relations Department Coordinator of the Centre "InterBilim", at tel.: +996 (312) 66-04-25, 66-05-16, fax: +996 (312) 66-44-34 e-mail: [email protected] The exhibition "Women-Artists of Issyk Kul Province" organized by the Public Association "Students of Issyk Kul" in the exhibition hall of Karakol was opened on May 30, 2001. The project, implemented within the framework of the Citizen's Participation Fund (CPF) in the Kyrgyz Republic, is financed by USAID; Counterpart Consortium is a Grant Administrator of the CPF. The exhibition of the women-artists is staged in Issyk-Kul for the first time. At the opening ceremony there were 50 attendees including the chairman of the Association of Women-Artists and Fine Arts specialists, deputy director of the State Fine Arts Museum, members of Artists Union, the representatives of the art-graphic faculty of the Issyk-Kul State University. The goal of the given exhibition, which will be staged until June 30, 2001 is to attract public attention to the poverty through women's creative work. Some women-artists from Bishkek and Karakol, Civil Society Support Center (CSSC) manager B. Abdieva, vice-rector of the Issyk-Kul State University and others spoke at the opening ceremony. Part of funds raised from sale of pictures will be transferred to the Ak Su Children's House. All those interested in the works of women-artisans are invited to visit the exhibition. The training "Writing A Proposal" was facilitated by the Naryn Civil Society Support Center on May 29-31, 2001. The training was conducted in the building of the provincial library in Naryn. There were 26 attendees, including the representatives of the state agencies, non-commercial organizations and target communities of the province. The local trainers have trained the participants to develop logical and well-grounded grant applications meeting requirements of Counterpart Consortium and other donors, so they could get funds and resources to implement their projects. The following issues also were raised:
- Criteria of good problem statement,
- Needs Assessment and collection of information,
- Correct setting of project goals and objectives,
- Budget account and sound estimate of the project budget,
- Monitoring and evaluation of the project.
The training was conducted within the framework of the Counterpart Consortium program "Program of Civil Society and NGO Development in the Central Asia Region ", supported by USAID.
Within the framework of the Counterpart Consortium (CC) /Kyrgyzstan program " /Community Outreach" and the European Union Project "Strengthening Community Participation in Civil Society in the Kyrgyz Republic" the meeting of the CC officers with the community was held in the condominium "Mechta" (Dream) which was one of CC target communities, on May 31, 2001. The goal of the given meeting was presentation of the participatory appraisal of condominium needs conducted last April, joint analysis of ways to solve the revealed problems and development of condominium action plan. At meeting with 50 inhabitants the initiative group consisting of 6 members was selected to be trained at the CC trainings and to assist the community in program implementation.
Contact: Counterpart Consortium, Lilia Kuchenova, IU/AUK Program Coordinator, Information Coordinator of NGO, 107 Kievskaya str., 5th floor, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Phone: 996(312) 610 135, 610 022, 664 636 Fax: 996(312) 610 021 Email: Internet: http://www.cango.net.kg/
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