# 205
September 26, 2003
In this issue:
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)
- The First Phase of the Joint Project with DFID on Functional Reviews of the Ministries is Complete
- Consultations with partners held to discuss major concerns related to environment and security in the region
- Preventive Development Center in Jalalabat province initiated the youth contest among the youth
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
- Workshop on Improving the Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)
UNDP has completed the first phase of the joint project with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) on functional reviews in the Ministries in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The goal of the project launched in August 2002 was to increase capacity of the government through appropriate measures streamlining its functions and structures. The four ministries – of Justice; Transport and Communications; Ecology and Emergency; and External Trade and Industry, and the two State Committees - on State Property and Attraction of Direct Investments and on Tourism, Sport and Youth Policy have been reviewed by international and national experts.
At the beginning of the project a series of trainings was provided to members of internal working groups created in each ministry and state committee on functional review techniques to transfer the know-how and essential skills to facilitators responsible for leading the process of reforms within the state bodies. Then UNDP/DFID experts conducted a comprehensive review of functions performed by the each agency and identified those that should be eliminated, redistributed, or consolidated. In some cases it was recommended to add missing functions. Overall, a set of recommendations has been developed for each ministry and state committee and action plans designed. Functional review experts together with internal working groups then carefully tested every recommendation to be taken into consideration, after that each head of relevant agency approved a final report and submitted it to the Commission on Administrative Reforms of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Actually the review turned into facilitation and idea-creating process that helped senior civil servants to critically evaluate their roles and input into the overall development process. Apart from the fact that there is a little potential for staff reduction and financial savings in the ministries at the central level but it was stressed at the same time that there is a number of agencies outside the capital, wholly or partly funded by the state budget, whose status and lines of accountabilities on the local level are still unclear. It was also identified that agencies, which role is crucial for the entire public expenditures system were not involved in functional reviews.
Therefore, UNDP and DFID agreed recently to extent the on-going project till December 2004 and conduct functional reviews in the Chamber of Accounts, the Revenue Committee, as well as in territorial branches and subordinate level of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic.
For more information please contact Dinara Rakhmanova, UNDP National Governance Programme Manager. Phone: (996 312) 66 46 34, 66 21 08. Email:
On 23 September consultations with a wide spectrum of partners were held to discuss major concerns related to environment and security in the region within the UNDP, OSCE and UNEP regional programme on environment and security.
Degradation of environment and scarcity of natural resources during last years have become the factors affecting tension within states and between nations. Definitely, neither ecological problems nor distribution of resources cannot provoke armed conflicts but they are highly dependable on other socioeconomic factors, such as population growth, poverty, migration, refugees flow, political instability, ethnic and political tension.
The initiative on environment and security initiated in autumn of 2002 jointly with UNDP, UNEP and OSCE, is a long-term process of ecological threats study, development of recommendations and conducting regular consultations with interested groups.
Pilot projects within this initiative are being implemented in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Efforts to set up cooperation between key state departments, NGOs and development agencies are aimed at strengthening peace and stability in the region.
In January 2003 the initial consultations were held in Ashgabat with results presented in the Report entitled “Environment and Security: A Framework for Cooperation”. Also, the national reports of the ecological threats on human development and security were used in the Report “Addressing ecological threats in Central Asia”. Both of these reports were distributed among participants at the meeting in Bishkek and were discussed during the consultations.
For more information please contact Adilet Abdybekov, UNDP Programme Associate and GEF Programme Coordinator. Phone: (996 312) 61 12 13. Email:
Preventive Development Center in Jalalabat province initiated the youth contest (known as KVN) among the youth from UNDP target areas.
The event was aimed at support of peace and social stability in the region, multiethnic friendship strengthening as well as development of people’s diplomacy and traditions. Beside that it contributed to popularization of UNDP’s activity.
Youth teams from Suzak, Aksy, Ala-Buka and Bazar-Kurgan took part in the contest, which was held on 20 September 2003. The hall of the Jalalabat Theater named after Barpy, where the contest was organized, was overcrowded with more than 500 people, including local residents, students and teams’ fans.
The first prize of the contest, which lasted almost three hours, was awarded to the team “Romashka” from Nooken district. They received a sort of “UNDP Cup” – porcelain vase and other valuable presents.
It has to be mentioned that local administrations contributed to the organization of the event through moral and financial support of their respective teams. The necessary assistance and support in organization of this friendly contest was also rendered by Jalalabat province Youth Committee.
For more information please contact Abdiraim Jorokulov, UNDP Preventive Development Programme Manager. Phone: (+996) 3222 5 78 37. Fax: (+996) 3222 5 57 13; E-mail:
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)
In Naryn, leaders of local children related NGOs and representatives of Children’s Resource Group supported by Save the Children (UK) discussed how NGOs could facilitate children’s participation in decision making processes and join their efforts to make their work more effective. The workshop was supported by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children (UK).
At the round table, adults and children reviewed the commitments adopted by the Kyrgyz Republic by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1994) and signing to the Final Document of the UN Special Session on Children “Word Fit for Children” (2002).
The children performed anecdotes on how a child in Naryn Oblast realizes the right to express his/her opinion. The participants analyzed the cases. They concluded that compulsory education and family environment create bases for developing children’s participation. However, parents do not give enough attention to a child and his/her schooling, domestic problems, lack of entertainment and a number of other factors become barriers to effective participation.
The participants unanimously agreed that joint efforts and partnerships of NGOs would provide an important approach to implementation of children’s rights. A healthy child who does not attend school or cannot express him/herself, won’t attain full potential. No individual NGO can address all the aspects of a child’s development. Effectiveness of their work lies in close partnership with others and mobilization of joint resources.
The participants, who represented 16 out of 22 NGOs working with children in Naryn Oblast, proposed to create an Oblast Network and developed strategic goals for five years:
- to reduce the number of children who do not attend school,
- to reduce the number of street children (mainly in Naryn town)
- to educate adults and children on children’s rights and other pressing issues like prevention of the spread of HIV infection.
In conclusion, the participating NGOs reaffirmed their commitment to work together with the Government, international organizations and children towards a better future for children. Similar workshops will take place in all other Oblasts of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Contact: Richard Young, Resident Representative. Phone: (996 312) 61 12 24, 61 12 25; e-mail:
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
Workshop on Improving the Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care through Empowering Users
Within joint project of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children Fund (UNICEF) and International Labour Organization (ILO) workshop “Improving the Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care through Empowering Users” was held at Issyk Kul between 22 - 23 September 2003.
The seminar participants included representatives of the Ministry of Health, international and rural community-based organizations applying social mobilization in promoting healthy lifestyle among the population.
Implementation of the project “Improving the Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care through Empowering Users” started in 2001. The project goal is to develop and test mechanisms of social support through community structures to ensure access of the population to quality reproductive and sexual health care services.
This project is being implemented in two stages. During the first stage of the project series of sociological researches on evaluation of situation and access of the population to reproductive and sexual health care services were undertaken. The second stage of the project implies actual implementation of social mobilisation activities at a village level. Tup and Issyk-Ata districts were selected as pilot ones.
Starting from February 2003 a number of activities on a village level have been successfully carried out to this day. These include establishment of seven village initiative groups that are actively involved in the project implementation; holding community meetings and training sessions for local leaders, village initiative groups, teachers and medical workers; development and implementation of initiatives on a village level with participation of communities; development and testing of IEC (information, education, communication) materials. It is planned to provide feldsher-obstetric stations (FOS) and family group practitioners of the pilot districts with medical equipment and medicine, allocate furniture to resource centers that were established upon initiative of local communities.
Project results indicate that issues related to reproductive and sexual health are extremely pressing for the population. Moreover, they demonstrate that role of a community in tackling problems related to reproductive and sexual health is significant. Bearing this in mind, it was decided to hold this workshop, where international organizations and representatives of local initiative groups would have opportunity to share their experience and discuss a mechanism of introducing issues on protection of reproductive and sexual health into existing projects. Results of the pilot project activities obtained in Tup and Issyk-Ata rayons were presented at the workshop.
For more information please contact Alexander Ilyin, UNFPA National Programme Officer. Phone: (996 312) 61 12 02, 61 12 13; e-mail:
|
