17 April, 2025 Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, together with Forum Asia, launched the Online Academy of Civic Space for Local Communities from Local to Global. Its first session was devoted to the topic “Workers' Right to Decent Work” to inform community leaders and activists about the novelties of international and national legal mechanisms for the protection and promotion of labor rights, the role of mediation in dispute resolution and conflicts.

The goals of the online Academy of Civic Space is to provide assistance to victims of Kumtor, experts and strategic decision makers, since after the nationalization of Kumtor, residents and victims in Issyk-Kul region have limited access to information about the environmental safety of 92 uranium tailings dumps,[1] as well as limited access to drinking water and soil around the tailings dumps, as there is no National Action Plan for risk and disaster prevention available.

The melting and destruction of glaciers at Kumtor alarms local residents and victims of the accident of 20 May 1998,^[2] the initiative for the adoption by the Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers of the KR of the Law on Glaciers vetoed by ex-President A. Atambaev is still in question. Together with a network of community leaders from five villages and local communities living in risk and disaster zones, Bir Duino sent reports to the UN Special Rapporteurs, but there was no response from the authorities of the KR.

The third goal of the Academy was related to the labor rights situation of women working at Kumtor after its nationalization. The invited experts of the Academy, Fidana Alieva and Assel Sartpaeva, raised strategically important issues:

• The creation and provision of decent working conditions in the mining industry of the KR is not just a legal norm, but a fundamental human right that directly affects the well-being and safety of citizens, as well as the sustainable development of the country as a whole;^[3]
• The role of mediation is to promote constructive dialogue between employees and the employer, with key decision makers, opening up space for reducing corruption and new opportunities to prevent conflicts and risks in the workplace;
• Fidana Alieva's key recommendation on the importance of including mediation provisions in employment contracts is an innovative practical step towards creating fair, transparent labor relations.

The Online Academy of Civic Space is designed for leaders and activists of local communities in the Issyk-Kul region. Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, in partnership with the international association Forum Asia, held 2 national and 4 regional forums from 2019 to 2024 with the participation of residents of five villages affected by a cyanide spill at the Kumtor gold mine in 1998,^[4] and assisted in the participation of community leader of Barskoon vill. Bubukan Ormonova in the international UN forum on risks and disasters and her meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development, Surya Deva. The research "View from the Frontline"^[5] has been conducted by Bir Duino since 2018 together with the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)^[6]on key risk and disaster areas in Issyk-Kul, Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts in order to reduce the gaps between the government and local communities living in risk and disaster contexts.^[7]

International expert Fidana Alieva noted that "Mediation is about the ability to ask the necessary questions and establish communication. Mediation reduces the risks of systemic corruption at all levels of government. The role of a mediator is to provide legal assistance in resolving the situation, not to find out who is right and who is wrong. It is important that the result of mediation does not contradict the norms of the current legislation of the KR.

It will also create favorable conditions for preventing conflicts between employees, the majority of whom represent local communities, and large private companies in order to effectively promote inclusive dialogue and adapt the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights",^[8] the expert emphasized.

In the context of global challenges, risks and disasters, existing socio-economic challenges, ensuring decent working conditions is not just a legal norm, but a fundamental human right that directly affects the well-being of citizens and the stability of society as a whole.

The presentation by Asel Sartbaeva, Chairman of the Youth Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of the KR, on the role and activities of trade unions in the new conditions, with a focus on the rights of vulnerable groups, such as health and education workers, demonstrates the important role of the institution of civil society in protecting labor rights.

The right to decent work includes not only fair pay and safe working conditions, but also respect for the dignity of the employee, non-discrimination and the opportunity for professional development. Violations of labor rights, such as mobbing, leakage of confidential information, decreased productivity and staff turnover, have serious negative consequences both for individual workers and for the country's economy as a whole, especially in the context of the shrinking civic space.[9]

The new innovative working methods of the Federation of Trade Unions for the implementation and promotion of ratified international conventions in the field of labor, new initiatives for the ratification of the additional seven ILO conventions, are an important step towards the implementation of international standards in national legislation and practice. The participants had the opportunity to ask questions about the protection of the labor rights of persons with disabilities, the availability of mediation services in remote regions, as well as the specifics of conflict resolution with the participation of mediators in the judiciary. Participants recommended that the Federation of Trade Unions conduct additional training events on labor rights for women working in the informal sector and living in peri-urban settlements of Bishkek.

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The Academy of Civic Space for Local Communities from Local to Global is a unique platform for sharing knowledge, discussing best practices, and jointly seeking solutions to pressing issues. The next session of the Online Academy will be devoted to discussing the importance of initiating and adopting the Law of the KR on Glaciers in the context of the impact of global climate change on local communities living in conditions of risks and disasters, preparing individual complaints to Special Rapporteurs together with Forum Asia experts.   

Fidana Alieva is an expert at the Bishkek-based Center for Mediation and Negotiation, a dispute resolution specialist with more than ten years of experience in mediation, negotiation and arbitration at the regional and international levels, who participated in more than 200 disputes, worked as a mediator in the ADB and the World Bank Group, received the Weinstein JAMS International Scholarship, founded one of the the first mediation centers in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, and actively participated as a coach and judge at prestigious international mediation and negotiation competitions.

Asel Sartpaeva is the Chairman of the Youth Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan, expert on labor rights.

Should you have any questions regarding your future participation in subsequent sessions, please, contact the team of Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan by phone 0772 163229 and e-mail birduinokyrgyzstan@gmail.com.