According to the results of the national online forum held on June 24, 2020 on the theme: “Lessons from a pandemic: pros and cons. Issues of sustainable development of Kyrgyzstan ”, representatives of state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic, experts, NGO activists and leaders of local communities and agreed on the need to jointly address strategically important issues to strengthen interaction between the state and the civil sector in order to overcome risks and threats, especially during the period of the coronavirus pandemic in our country. country. The event brought together more than 20 representatives of various government agencies, experts, NGOs and activists.

The most important key decision of the expert forum was the discussion of ways and opportunities, how to bring together interested people, representatives of the Government, public organizations, local leaders and experts on one dialogue platform to increase the effectiveness of local government agencies, to inform about the most dangerous risks and threats in the regions.

This discussion platform was created by the public association “Kelechekke Zhol” (“The Road to the Future”) together with the human rights movement “Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan” as part of the “Look from the Front” project with the support of the Global Disaster Risk Reduction Network (GNDR).

During the event, the representative of the Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic noted the presence of two existing anti-crisis plans to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the development of an additional third plan to replenish the state budget. Funds of the International Monetary Fund in the amount of 242 million euros were attracted for budget support, a soft loan of $ 50 million from the World Bank and a similar amount from the Asian Development Bank, through the Eurasian Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the issue of allocating an additional 100 million to Kyrgyzstan is also being worked out . dollars to maintain the budget. The total need for filling the state budget deficit today is 30 billion soms.

The Ministry of Economy is also implementing a new project, during which special state bodies and departments will pay special attention to the issues of housing insurance for citizens in remote rural and alpine regions.

The head of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Kyrgyz Republic under the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, Almabek Aydakeev, presented the results of the work of the department to support families who are forced to relocate to new areas and their social integration. The importance of the participation of local non-profit organizations and experts in informing local self-government bodies, as well as in partnership with the public on reporting on measures taken by local authorities, was emphasized. The need for these measures to increase confidence in the authorities.

An important factor in the online discussion was the work of regional non-profit organizations in identifying the most needy groups of people, mobilizing local fundraising, providing psychological and legal assistance to the population during a pandemic, and contributing to online training during quarantine. Attention was also focused on monitoring the effectiveness of measures taken by the local mayor's office in the distribution of humanitarian assistance. It was important to hear that the city hall accepted the proposals of NGOs in Osh in the south of the country to improve the processes of supporting the needy population. In this regard, the director of the Ensan-Diamond public association noted the activities of the Regional Forum NGO network and civil society in responding to the risks and threats of the pandemic, and raised funds to assist the most needy social groups.

The head of the Alga rural women association Olga Dzhanaeva spoke about the positive results in training women who are in difficult financial conditions, the skills of using information technology for employment, and moral and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence. At the same time, the problems of intersectoral interaction between government agencies, NGOs and experts were emphasized to jointly overcome risks and threats.

It is important to emphasize that the chairman of the Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan human rights movement, Tolekan Ismailova, noted the role and significance of the work carried out in partnership with international partners to jointly overcome risks and threats to local communities. This dialogue platform should continue to operate with the involvement of experts, NGOs and government agencies to increase confidence in the authorities. At the same time, it was noted about the need for greater involvement and promotion of the voices of local communities from the regions in order to effectively overcome the existing difficulties on the ground, so that people in remote settlements can get equal access to clean water and vital resources.

It was also important to hear about the problems faced by women in rural areas and the importance of involving women in local government to prevent and overcome the consequences of the pandemic emergency. The role of supporting agricultural producers, as well as ensuring public access to technology, is noted.

In turn, Tatyana Tretyakova, coordinator of the platform for the preparation of the National Voluntary Review on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals within the UN, noted the work being carried out on the upcoming country presentation of the SDGs NDO in July 2020, the goals have been achieved, and the level of development has not been developed the institution of partnership between government agencies and the NPO sector, especially to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in Kyrgyzstan, it is important to combine and attract independent experts at the local level to address social and economic issues. This will allow to find the most effective optimal approaches for acute problem moments, so that current risks do not become real disasters.

Murat Karypov, coordinator of the project “Sight from the Front”, supported by the GNDR Global Network for Disaster Risk Reduction, noted the results of the work at the local level with the participation of the National Advisory Committee, government agencies and experts, special attention was paid to the need for further development of multilateral partnerships with specialized ministries and departments in order to further better promote the interests of regional communities and experts to jointly overcome risks and threats.

The final initiatives of the participants of the National Online Forum for the next steps include:

1. Strengthen multilateral interaction between state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic and representatives of public organizations in order to jointly counter the coronavirus pandemic.

2. Conduct further similar events involving a wide range of independent experts and civil society for a constructive dialogue on the most pressing socio-economic issues.

3. To increase the role and importance of regional experts and public organizations from remote areas to develop recommendations for state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic to overcome the consequences of coronavirus.

4. To intensify ongoing work with the Office of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to develop possible options and ways out of the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic in our country.