Functional areas of territories: can the new study become the basis for further administrative territorial reform in the country?

On June 2, 2022, a presentation seminar was held in Bishkek on the topic “Functional zones for administrative territorial reform” to the representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, independent experts and representatives of international projects (20 participants).

Lidia Budisa, International Advisor on Governance and Peace of Helvetas made the presentation on the functional zoning of regions as a way of administrative and territorial organization. She noted that: “Functional zoning explores socio-economic relations in the territory, and a functional zone is a territory with close and frequent internal socio-economic interaction and joint activities of state/municipal structures in the territory. It is not defined by any historical territorial or the current administrative boundaries of a municipal or higher state level region. The concept is based on organic evolution in the territory.”

Following the international practice, Nurbek Imakeev, the Local Implementation Manager of the Public Service Improvement Project, presented the results of a pilot study of the functional analysis of three districts of Jalal-Abad region.

In the light of the upcoming pilot project on the reform of the Issyk-Kul oblast, this study can be taken as a basis as an entry point into the administrative territorial reform as well as for the analysis of information on various criteria used in functional zoning.

The discussion was organized within the framework of the Public Service Improvement Project, funded by the Swiss Government and implemented by Helvetas and the Development Policy Institute together with and LSG Union of the KR.