Address of H.E. Ms. R. Otunbayeva,

President of Kyrgyz Republic

At the annual meeting of stakeholders of the UN Peacebuilding Fund

UN, New York, 22 November 2011

• October 30, 2011 – presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan

• 62,52% of those who took part in the elections voted for A. Atambayev.

• The first peaceful transfer of power from one president to another in the Central Asian region will be held at the inauguration on December 1, 2011.

• The elections laid the foundation for further strengthening the process of building the first parliamentary democracy in the region.

The price of democratic transformations for Kyrgyzstan

• More than 90 people were killed during the popular uprising in April of 2010. All in all, 1700 people suffered

• The provoked conflict in June of 2010 took the lives of more than 400 people, and hundreds of thousands ethnic Uzbeks were displaced.

• The economic development and infrastructure of the south faced millions of dollars in damage.

Efforts towards the stabilization of the situation: all measures of support from

international partners • Referendum of accepting the Constitution,

amendment • Parliamentary (October of 2010) and

presidential elections, recognized by all observers

• Formation of public supervisory boards in the ministries, and law enforcements

• Reformation of the court system

Special attention to the programs of restoration of the infrastructure in the south and the support

to the reconciliation process• Emergency aid for providing housing, food,

water and first aid to the suffered. • Aid in restoration of documentation.• Special attention to women, children, people

with special needs, and the socially vulnerable population groups.

Joint efforts for elaboration of the proposal to the UN Peacebuilding Fund:

• Government of Kyrgyzstan• Special Representative of the UN Secretary

General, Head of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, M. Jenca.

• UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, UNHCR, the UN Women, UN OHCHR and WFP

• Local authorities, NGOs, communities, local civil society activists

• Peacebuilding Fund took into consideration the systematic approach on the basis of the Concept of Ethnic Policy and consolidation

• First installment: 3 million dollars, November 2010

• Second installment: 7 million US dollars, end of July of 2011.

Components of the project: youth• Professional-technical education for

young people from vulnerable groups, their participation in development works

• More than 1200 people took courses of computer literacy, Russian and English languages

• 17 youth centers in the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions are opened.

Components of the project: women

• Women’s organizations are involved in peacebuilding processes

• A Women’s Peace Network consisting of different ethnic groups is created

• Women participate in early warning and situation monitoring

• Young “peace ambassadors”are supported by the Women’s Peace Network with a component of interregional youth communication

Components of the project: reconstruction of the Uvam canal• Span of 44 kilometers• Provides water for 25 villages of

multiethnic composition with a population of almost 100 thousand in the Kara-Suu region.

• Promotes the increase of wellbeing of families, preventing conflicts related to water, creates the basis for trust

• The canal now bears the name “Friendship”

Components of the project: grants for local communities

Projects are directed to:• Reestablishment of infrastructure• Search of new sources of funds for

existence• Involvement of all communities and

ethnic groups35 projects are already finished, 30 are being realized, and 25 new

projects are being planned.

Components of the project: support of mass-media

• Strengthening the capacity of the media on promoting peace and tolerance.

• The development of practical skills of journalists for objective and balanced reporting.

Components of the project: administration of justice

• Working with prosecutors, judges and lawyers on justice and protection of human rights.

• Support for large-scale judicial reforms, programs of inter-regional rotation of judges, elected by the new procedures.

Initiatives of Kyrgyzstan in the field of human rights

• Vice-chairmanship of the UN Council on Human Rights.

• The signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

• Invitation of special Reporters of the UN:– on torture– freedom of peaceful assemblies and associations– on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

Context for programme implementation:

• Strong, consistent civil society.• Traditions of freedom of speech

and independent media.• Transparency of resource

allocations have been effective to absorb the funds of international aid.

Indicators of the stabilization of the situation:

• GDP growth from January to October was 9%, while revenues have exceeded expectations.

• In addressing ethnic issues, the Government takes into account most of the recommendations of national and international reports on events in the south.

Priorities for the future (1):• Community reconciliation programmes, the

integration of Uzbeks• Reforming the language policy, the role of the

state language in the education system at all levels

• Increase the capacity of the media, journalists• The program for the economic empowerment

of women, access to financial and informational resources

Priorities for the future (2):

• Program to expand the horizons and improve the education of youth, student exchange programs• Psychological help for different

groups emerging from conflict: women, children, policemen, soldiers, etc.

Priorities for the future (3):

Reforming the security forces- installation of CCTV cameras in places

where interrogations occur- Training for police officers,

prosecutors, lawyers, judges- Increase minority representation in

power structures

Conclusions:• Kyrgyzstan can be an example of effective use of

international aid• In 2010 the system worked smoothly and quickly:

the Government of Kyrgyzstan, the UN, the Peacebuilding Fund, and NGOs have done everything to mitigate the effects of the conflict

• Kyrgyzstan's experience demonstrates the role of the UN in the modern architecture of peace-building and in response to emergency needs

Gratitude:

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

• UN Peacebuilding Fund and its Secretariat

• PBF donors• The entire international

community for helping the people of Kyrgyzstan

" Oh, My Lord! I beg you:Keep in unity my people!May his cattle be born and live,May them multiply and fattened!And may my people for hundreds yearsNever know Any troubles and sorrow!”

“Manas” epic, prayer of Manas

THANK YOU!