UN Agencies

Kyrgyzstan became a member of the United Nations in 1992. The Permanent Mission of the UN in Kyrgyzstan opened in 1993, soon after Kyrgyzstan gained its independence. The UN’s goal in Kyrgyzstan is to assist the government in implementing country development reforms and to support its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. At present, 15 UN agencies, funds and programmes listed below operate in Kyrgyzstan under the coordination by the United Nation Resident Coordinator, who is designated by the UN Secretary-General: 

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
• United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR)
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
• World Food Programme (WFP)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

The United Nations in Kyrgyzstan supports the Government of Kyrgyzstan in its efforts to fulfill its commitments to achieve the MDGs. Since the adoption of the UN Millennium Declaration, the UN agencies in Kyrgyzstan have successfully integrated the MDGs into the UN Development Assistance Framework, as well as agency programmes and strategies.

THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
 
FAO is dedicated to promoting agriculture, nutrition, forestry, fisheries and rural development, and to facilitating achievement of the World Food Summit and the MDG goal of eradicating hunger. The Organization is a world centre of food and agricultural information and knowledge and a forum for policy dialogue and forging agreements among nations.
 
FAO supports the Government and other national partners in assessing technical needs in agriculture development and identifying gaps in national policies. The organization assists in the development of agricultural policy, supports planning, drafting of effective legislation and creating national strategies. All FAO country-level actions are intended to empower national leadership to provide an effective agriculture management and to mobilize public, private and civil society partnerships. 

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a UN specialized agency which pursues the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The Kyrgyz Republic became a member of the ILO in 1992. In 2007, the ILO established an office of the National Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic who serves as an official representative of the Organization in the country. As of May 2009, the country has ratified 53 International Labour Conventions. 
The ILO has a unique tripartite structure in the United Nations, in which employers and workers’ representatives – the “social partners” of the economy – have an equal voice with those of governments in shaping its policies and programmes. The ILO also encourages this tripartism within its member States by promoting "social dialogue" between trade unions and employers in the formulation and implementation of national policy on social, economic and many other issues.

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND (UNICEF)

UNICEF worldwide assists governments and civil societies in the realization of children’s rights. Since 1994, UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan has helped children survive and thrive into adulthood. Empowered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF concentrates on improving child-related policies and making sustainable changes for the betterment of children’s lives and the fulfillment of their development potentials. In particular, it supports efforts in the areas of Social policy; Health and nutrition; Early childhood development and education; Сhild protection

UNICEF supports continuous research and situation analyses to inform and influence policy dialogue concerning child poverty and social protection. This work enables UNICEF to improve the knowledge and skills of central and local decision makers responsible for the welfare of children and their families. 

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN (UNIFEM)

UNIFEM provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. The agency demonstrates its innovative and catalytic role in paving the way for new initiatives and modes of work in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country.

Placing the advancement of women’s human rights at the center of all its efforts, UNIFEM focuses on four strategic areas:  
• achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace and war;
• strengthening women’s economic security and rights; 
• ending violence against women; and
• reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls.

UNIFEM is active in all regions and at different levels. It has advocacy-based work focusing on the implementation of laws and policies, which seek to eliminate gender discrimination and promote gender equality in such areas as property and inheritance rights, decent work for women and ending violence against women. UNIFEM also aims to transform institutions to make them more accountable on gender equality and women’s rights, to strengthen the capacities and voices of women’s rights advocates, and to change harmful and discriminatory practices in society.

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its activities in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993 ushering in the official UN presence. As a part the global development network operating in 166 countries, UNDP advocates for sustainable human development and connects Kyrgyzstan to worldwide knowledge, experience and resources. It provides grant aid from its own core resources and helps the country attract additional aid and use it effectively. 

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals for Kyrgyzstan remains the overarching framework of UNDP’s partnership with the Kyrgyz Government. In keeping with the spirit of the Millennium Declaration UNDP’s current country programme for 2006-2010 focuses on the areas of poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and sustainable environment. Gender equality is mainstreamed into all programmes and operations.
 
UNDP regularly commissions and publishes National Human Development Reports to foster debates on key development issues. The analytical framework of these reports is based on the human development paradigm while the participatory preparation process ensures that the conclusions and recommendations are owned by various parts of the society. 

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Since 1994, UNESCO has made an important contribution to peace and human development through its ‘Education for All ‘ programme, safeguarding the Kyrgyzstan’s unique cultural heritage, enhancing the national capacity for natural and human sciences and advocating for free flow of information universal access to information.
 
UNESCO’s mission is to help improve Kyrgyzstan’s educational, scientific, cultural and media sectors, by introducing new ideaas to the development agenda, standard-setting, disseminating and sharing information and knowledge and building national capacities in these diverse areas. In this regard, the organization centers its activities on the following strategic areas:

• Education for all;
• Natural sciences;
• Social and human sciences;
• Cultural diversity in all its forms; and 
• Free flow of information, and communication and information development.

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

UNHCR protects refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons by safeguarding their rights and well-being. In Kyrgyzstan, the UN refugee agency has three main objectives:
• Strengthening the national asylum system;
• Preventing and reducing statelessness;
• Emergency preparedness and response.

Since its offices opened in Bishkek in 1995, UNHCR invested close to 20 million USD to assist the government of the Kyrgyz Republic in ensuring that asylum seekers and refugees are protected, enjoy a dignified livelihood and prospects for durable solutions to their displacement.

UNHCR strongly supports its main governmental partner, the State Committee for Migration and Employment (SCME), to register asylum seekers, determine their refugee status, and furnish them with official documents and thus legal residency as well as other state protection. In 2007, the SCME, supported by UNHCR and the European Commission, opened a centre for reception and temporary accommodation of asylum-seekers and refugees in Bishkek, the first such centre in the Central Asia region. We also train and assist courts, prosecutors, law-enforcement officers, border guards, the Human Rights Ombudsman and other institutions in fulfilling their responsibilities in protecting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees.

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (UNIDO)

UNIDO is mandated to promote sustainable industrial development. Since 2008, UNIDO in the Kyrgyz Republic together with its partners, has been working on the following three strategic areas to tackle poverty and promote wealth:
• Poverty reduction through productive activities;
• Trade capacity-building; and 
• Environment and energy.
UNIDO assists Kyrgyzstan in improving its business environment including the development of policy and institutional foundations for private sector development. In doing so, UNIDO emphasizes on small- and medium-sized enterprises. The agency facilitates the promotion of domestic entrepreneurship in transferring of entrepreneurial skills.
UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, strives to combat the epidemic by shifting perceptions of AIDS risks and the adoption of safer behaviours by population. In Kyrgyzstan, UNAIDS brings together the efforts and resources of 10 UN organizations to support the national response to AIDS. 

UNAIDS provides key support to the UN Theme Group on AIDS and the Joint UN Team on AIDS and to coordinate policy on AIDS response monitoring and evaluation systems, and country-wide advocacy activities.

The work of UNAIDS focuses specifically on several areas:
• promoting a nationally owned response to AIDS;
• support for AIDS-service NGOs; and
• raising awareness of AIDS.

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (UNOHCHR)

The Central Asia Regional Office of UNOHCHR was officially established in June 2008 following the signing of the Memorandum with the Government of Kyrgyzstan. The Regional Office increases the engagement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights with the Governments and other state bodies, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations and relevant United Nations partners of the Central Asian region. The Regional Office formulates and implements strategies, programmes and measures to promote and protect civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.  

The Regional Office focuses its activities on:
 
• Serving a representational function; 
• Promoting accession to the international human rights treaties and encouraging regular reporting to the various UN committees in accordance with the state-parties’ commitments; 
• Supporting national human rights institutions and relevant civil society organizations, as well as the work of human rights defenders; and 
• Working with UN organizations throughout Central Asia to mainstream human rights into their programmes through the provision of technical advice. 

The Regional Office is working with Governments, civil society and international organizations within the region on: promoting and strengthening the work of the Ombudsman Institution; enhancing efforts to combat torture and all forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment through the establishment of independent monitoring bodies to monitor closed detention facilities; raising awareness to the right to adequate housing and the problems resulting from forced evictions; and advancing efforts in the provision of free legal aid to victims of domestic violence. 

The Regional Office also deals on a daily basis with cases of individual allegations of human rights violations and provides consultations on available national- and international-level legal remedies.

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC)

UNODC’s work focuses on technical assistance to Governments in the implementation of the UN conventions related to drug control, crime and criminal justice.

For Kyrgyzstan, a country that is situated along the northern drug transit route from Afghanistan to Russia and beyond, and is suffering from a significant economic downturn, illegal drug trafficking and addiction have become serious problems.  

Kyrgyzstan’s geopolitical location is very important and its role in the region’s stability is pivotal. Reflecting this, UNODC has been in Kyrgyzstan since 1994 to help develop the country by addressing issues that affect the safety and health of its population. Scarce resources hinder efforts to tackle drug trafficking and abuse, organized crime, corruption and terrorism while ineffective legislation represents a considerable challenge and threat to national security and the sustainable development of the country.

In an effort to equip Kyrgyzstan with the expertise and opportunities necessary to counteract these problems, UNODC in Kyrgyzstan carries out a broad spectrum of initiatives, ranging from capacity building to assisting in the development of patient-friendly medical services for users of illicit drugs. 

UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)

UNFPA, a UN agency that promotes the right of women, men and children to enjoy health and equal opportunities, focuses its efforts on improving reproductive health and population development. 

The agency works with the Kyrgyz Government to address issues relating public health, rising levels of maternal and infant mortality, inadequate access to healthcare, a lack of attention to gender equality in national policies and other demographic concerns. In addressing these challenges, UNFPA has formulated a number of comprehensive development initiatives targeted at improving demographic strategies and increasing the health of the nation as a basis for sustainable development.

In particular, UNFPA has concentrated its efforts on the following areas:

• Reproductive health;
• Youth programmes;
• Population and development; 
• Gender equality.

UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS (UNV)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful mean of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens and by purposefully creating opportunity for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers.

The UN volunteers (international and national) are experienced professionals committed to making a difference by addressing development concerns in countries they serve. UNV volunteers are operational partners in the development and implementation of UN systems' programmes and projects. The work focuses on several areas:
 
• Contributing to local capacity building;
• Fostering social mobilization and development; and
• Support to transferring skills.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)

As the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against hunger, WFP is continually responding to emergencies. It saves lives by getting food to the hungry fast.  
The WFP also works to help prevent hunger in the future. We do this through programmes that use food as a means to build assets, spread knowledge and nurture stronger, more dynamic communities. This helps communities become more food secure.
To achieve its objectives, WFP has developed expertise in a range of areas including Food Security Analysis, Nutrition, Food Procurement and Logistics.  
WFP operations reached just over 102 million people with food assistance in 2008. The beneficiaries were in 78 countries. 
WFP started operations in Kyrgyzstan in January 2009, as part of the UN’s response to concerns about the consequences of a previous harsh winter, drought during the agricultural season, and hail storms and locusts that had a negative impact on crops. The first WFP operation was designed as emergency food distribution to assist around 600,000 people to meet their minimum food needs over winter. WFP will continue to assess and monitor the food security situation, and respond as necessary to meet emergency needs and also to assist communities to become more food secure.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

WHO’s mission in Kyrgyzstan is to support the Government's efforts to improve the health status of the population and reduce health inequalities by strengthening health systems, increase access to basic health services, and improve the quality of care. 

The priorities for the WHO Country Office in Kyrgyzstan are set out in the biennial collaborative agreement (BCA) between WHO/Europe and the Ministry Of Health of Kyrgyzstan. The Office implements the agreement in close collaboration with the relevant national institutions and international partner agencies.

Priorities of BCA 2008-2009 are as follows:
• Improving health system stewardship and financing
• Strengthening the efficiency, quality and relevance of individual health services in the context of priority programs, emphasizing the leading role of primary health care
• Creating a sustainable public health service oriented towards the population’s needs and based on integration of health protection and promotion programs, wide inter-sectoral interaction, and active involvement of the population
• Increased preparedness and ability of the health system to respond to emergency situations
• Improving human resources policy through strategic planning, improvement of the medical education system, and human resources management