"Yntymak Week": NGOs help local authorities in their peacebuilding efforts

On September 21, 2023, as part of the Yntymak Week, the Development Policy Institute, jointly with International Alert[1], held a session on the topic "How does strong local self-government contribute to strengthening peace in the regions?". It was attended by active representatives of the civil sector and international organizations, as well as students of the State Governance Academy under President of the Kyrgyz Republic. The speakers were:

• Altynai Buzurmankulova, Project Manager at the Development Policy Institute;
• Aiperi Zhanyzakova, Project Manager at the International Alert;
• Indira Aseyin, head of the NGO "Agergech".

During the session, the speakers demonstrated the tools and mechanisms for strengthening peace in the regions, which were introduced jointly with local governments as part of the implementation of the "Yntymaktuu Jashoo" project [2].

"There are explicit tools, adhering to which you can avoid conflicts and live in harmony. This is the Joint Community Needs Study (SINC) which helps us identify problems with the participation of local communities; public hearings to discuss the local budget, tariffs for services, etc. Also, local self-government bodies need to develop Social and Economic Development Programme (ESDP). The most ideal timeframe is 3-5 years,” said Altynai Buzurmankulova, a project manager at the Development Policy Institute.

The issue of peacebuilding is comprehensive and requires multilateral participation. All obligations cannot be placed on the shoulders of local government. Non-governmental organizations play an important role in maintaining peace and harmony among the population.

“In terms of the implementation of the Yntymaktuu Zhashoo project, we collaborated actively with both local self-government bodies and the local population. During events (trainings, seminars, and discussions), Representatives of local self-government bodies did not sit opposite each other, but in the same row with local residents. And this completely changes people’s perception of local authorities. Together they are discussing and looking for ways to solve their problems. In addition to that, we conducted courses for mediators in the regions of Kyrgyzstan, where even after the completion of the project there are mediation centers available, and there are mediators who help local communities in preventing conflicts,” noted Aiperi Zhanyzakova, a project manager at International Alert.

During the session, participants were actively involved and asked questions, which made it possible to reveal that at the moment there is an acute issue of administrative-territorial reform (ATR) of aiyl aimaks.

“The reform of the territorial division of village aimaks raises many questions. Redistribution of resources can cause a lot of resistance from the parties. In this session, I learned how to minimize the risk of conflicts with minimal losses. There is also an acute shortage of lawyers in the regions. I liked the project, which is aimed at training mediators, and the fact that they began to work in the regions,” said Kubanychbek uulu Uluk, a student at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

“What I liked the most is that non-profit organizations are trying to solve the problem of racketeering in schools. In large cities, this problem may not be so common, but in villages, racketeering is commonplace. Few people can say this openly, since tribalism greatly interferes. The district police officer can be intimidated or influenced by relatives. I would like civil society organizations and all relevant parties to pay more attention to this particular problem,” said Begimai Kubanychbekova, a student at the State Governance Academy under President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Yntymak Week, dedicated to the International Day of Peace, organized the Peacebuilding Hub which took place from September 18 to 22, 2022. The event became a platform that brought together people and organizations working in the field of peacebuilding in Kyrgyzstan to jointly reflect and exchange knowledge about the results of peacebuilding work using real stories of people and communities.

Taking into consideration, that Yntymak Week has been supported not only by non-governmental and international organizations, but also by the Akylbek Japarov, a Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, we hope that attention to the topic of peacebuilding in Kyrgyzstan will only grow, and the event will be annual.

[1] https://www.international-alert.org/ru/locations/kyrgyzstan/

[2] The project "Yntymaktuu Jashoo" ("Life in Harmony") was implemented by the International Alert in consortium with the PA “Development Policy Institute” (DPI) and the National Mediation Center in the period from April 2021 to December 2022 https://dpi.kg/ru/activity/