The work UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan to reform the juvenile justice system has received a welcome boost through financial support of US$100,000 from the Australia UNICEF National Committee.

UNICEF is striving to guide juvenile justice reform to ensure compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Kyrgyz Code of Children and other international standards. These emphasize that the best interests of the child should prevail at all times and that custodial sentences should be seen as a measure of last resort.

In Kyrgyzstan, every second child and very second woman suffers from anaemia which causes over a thousand deaths every year. Poor health and low productivity caused by micronutrient and vitamin deficiencies costs the country’s economy an estimated 55 million US dollars annually.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 28 June 2007 - To tackle a high prevalence of anaemia in Kyrgyzstan, a bill “on enriching baking flour” was prepared and presented at Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament Jogorku Kenesh on 26 June 2007. The bill comes after ten years of research and study into the best way to solve the problem nutrient deficiency in the country.

The National Statistics Committee of Kyrgyzstan is organizing a three-day workshop for its specialists on how to make “dry” statistical data interesting, colourful, attractive, and useful on 13-16 August, 2007, with assistance from UNICEF. Twenty seven workshop participants will learn to use DevInfo software.

Bishkek, 25 September 2007 – UNICEF in collaboration with the Kyrgyz Government organizes a symposium where top government spokespersons in Kyrgyzstan will walk through crisis communication preparations for Pandemic Influenza, thanks to a generous contribution from the Government of Japan.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the six countries of the CEE/CIS region which will carry out this training in 2007 following the successful results of the series of six workshops benefiting eight countries last year. High-level officials will discuss priority principles of communication in health emergencies and the need to build trust, avoid panic and empower individuals to take appropriate action to minimize the effects of the pandemic and save lives.