DUSHANBE, December 20, 2012 Asia-Plus — The University of Central Asia (UCA), in collaboration with Government of Kyrgyzstan, hosted a national roundtable on “Local Self-Government in Kyrgyzstan: State and Opportunities for Development” for 60 heads of Aiyl Okmotu (AO), representatives from the Government, ministries and state agencies, Parliament deputies as well as the representatives of international donors institutions on December 19, 2012, press release issued by UCA said.
Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Tairbek Sarpashev; Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Agrarian Policy, Water Resources, Environment and Regional Development, Saidulla Nyshanov; Director, State Agency for Reconstruction and Development, Kanybek Narbayev; and UCA Director General, Dr Bohdan Krawchenko presented opening remarks to participants.
This national roundtable brought together 60 heads of Ayil Districts of Kyrgyzstan, providing a unique and rare opportunity for Aiyl Okmotu and state agency representatives to discuss pressing local governance issues.
This format allowed participants to engage in in-depth discussions and provide feedback on the working ‘Medium-term local Self-Government Development Strategy (2012-2017)’ strategy developed by the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development. The forum also allowed participants to discuss results of village level assessments and exchange opinions on key topics such as water resource management and internal capacity-building within the local self-government system. A team of experts shared their experience in essential topics on reforming self-governance and municipal management.
The National Roundtable culminates a series of successful roundtables on “Regional Development – Foundation of Reforms” in the southern and northern regions of Kyrgyzstan for the heads of local self-government bodies from each region. Three regional roundtables were held across the country, bringing together local self-governments from Issyk – Kul, Naryn, Batken, Jalalabad, Osh, Chui and Talas regions.
Active participants from the regional roundtables formed part of the 60 local government participants at the National Roundtable. A number of these participants will also pursue UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) Local Economic and Community Development certificate program, which equips civil servants with necessary skills for effective local administration.
In 2011-2012, SPCE trained 30 representatives from the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development and 15 heads of Ayl Okmotu from Naryn region. In the 2012-2013 academic year, SPCE is expected to train 100 representatives from ministries, departments and heads of AO across the country, enabling them to serve as key resources both within local government and their community.
The National Roundtable is supported by the Promoting Stability and Economic Opportunity in Kyrgyzstan project, a two-year initiative funded Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and administered by the Aga Khan Foundation, Kyrgyzstan.
