The State Agency for Public Service and LSG initiated a discussion of current issues in the sphere of services provided by local government bodies

On 27 July 2024, the State Agency for Public Service and Local Self-Government under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic (hereinafter – the State Agency) jointly with the Public Service Improvement Project funded by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by Helvetas and the Development Policy Institute held a round table to discuss topical issues in the field of local government services.

The roundtable was attended by about 60 participants, including the management and responsible staff of the State Agency, the Union of Local Self-Governments of the Kyrgyz Republic, independent experts in the field of local services and municipal management, and representatives of development projects.

Kudaibergen Bazarbaev, Director of the State Agency, emphasized the importance of the administrative-territorial reform carried out, which also aims to improve the accessibility and quality of services for the local population. "New, enlarged aiyl aimaks and cities should build such a management system so that even in the most remote villages all the services necessary for life would be available for the citizens of our country," he said, welcoming the discussion participants.

At the event, the participants discussed the implementation of the powers of local self-governments in waste management in accordance with the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Production and Consumption Waste", as the newly adopted law requires LSG bodies to consolidate their efforts to address the issues of Solid Waste collection, removal and disposal.

Special attention was paid to the problems and solutions in the activities of municipal enterprises within the framework of the ATR in the Kyrgyz Republic, since the unification of municipalities also entailed the reorganization of enterprises created by LSG structures.

Taalaigul Mamasalieva, Head of the Department of Functions and Powers of Local Self-Governance of the State Agency, talked about the measures to prepare bylaws after the adoption of the draft laws by the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic to bring legal acts in line with the administrative-territorial reform.

In addition, expert Natalia Baidakova told the round table participants about waste management issues included in the draft Programme of Green Economy Development in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2024-2028. In the Programme under development, a whole section is devoted to waste management issues. The goal of this area of the Programme is to reduce the volume of solid domestic waste entering the landfills of the Kyrgyz Republic, which is proposed to be achieved through the following tasks:

• Improving the efficiency of the waste collection and recycling system.
• Modernisation of landfill infrastructure.
• Minimisation and prevention of waste generation.

At the end of the event the participants expressed hope, that the problems put forward at the round table, as well as the ways to solve them, developed at the round table, will be useful in the implementation of the tasks set before the country, especially in the period of reforms.