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Kyrgyzstan
>> Regional Overview >> Kyrgyzstan Overview Activity Data Sheet
PROGRAM: Kyrgyzstan
TITLE & NUMBER: Strengthened democratic culture among citizens and target institutions, 116-0211
STATUS: New
PROPOSED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $3,000,000 FSA
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $3,200,000 FSA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 2001 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2005Summary: The establishment of democracy in Kyrgyzstan requires, first and foremost, increasing awareness of and demand for democratic change by fostering political will and commitment to reform among both citizens and governing elites. The goal of this new objective is to foster attitudinal change about what constitutes a democracy and how citizens and targeted institutions can work together to bring about democratic reforms. Technical assistance will support developing stronger and more sustainable civic organizations; maintaining independent media outlets and organizations; strengthening parliamentarians' skills in constituency outreach and legislative drafting; and improving civic education for youth in Kyrgyzstan.
Program Categories include support for civil society/NGO strengthening, political process support and support for independent media.
Key Results: Key results necessary to achieve this objective are: 1) stronger and more sustainable civic organizations; 2) increased availability of information on civic rights and domestic public issues; and 3) enhanced opportunities for citizen participation in governance.
Performance and Prospects: Neither parliamentary nor presidential elections in 2000 met international standards. The political barriers to participation, the harassment and obstruction of opposition candidate campaigns, the lack of impartiality displayed by the courts, and the manipulation of election results during these elections were significant disappointments following the considerable progress that was made in electoral law reform in 1999.
The problems associated with the elections negatively affected the environment for development of NGOs, other civic organizations, and independent media as well. A government orchestrated campaign to discredit one of Kyrgyzstan's leading democracy-oriented NGOs, the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, polarized the NGO community and created obstacles to the Coalition's domestic election monitoring and national advocacy activities. Another major disappointment in 2000 was the independent media's silence and the high level of self-censorship throughout the presidential elections. Prior to the presidential elections, the media in Kyrgyzstan was one of the most vibrant and outspoken in Central Asia.
While overall progress was limited this year, some results did nonetheless materialize despite concerted government efforts to ensure that the election results reinforced the current political power structure. Of particular note were public demonstrations in the cities of Talas and Bishkek following the parliamentary elections and in Dzhalal-Abad following the presidential election. Demonstrations of this magnitude represented a heretofore unseen political activism in a usually complacent populace. Other results included the fielding of 2,500 and 1,500 domestic monitors for the parliamentary and presidential elections, respectively; the opening of two new civil society support centers outside of the capital, complementing the existing four centers; public hearings in parliament; and the successful defense of journalists' rights in court.
A district court in southern Kyrgyzstan struck down a city court's ruling that sentenced a prominent journalist to two years in prison for libel. Under the Kyrgyz criminal code, the journalist was convicted for criticizing a judge's decision on an election dispute between two candidates and reporting on rumors of an alleged bribe taken by the judge. The severity of the city court ruling shocked the public. Hundreds of citizens sent letters condemning the ruling to President Akaev. A Kyrgyz lawyer, funded through a USAID project, along with numerous journalists and leaders of local non-governmental organizations, several of whom had been trained by USAID, supported the journalist through the appeals process. Five weeks after the initial ruling, the court supported free speech and released the journalist. The repeal of the conviction set a precedent for future cases with similar charges to protect journalists and the media. The outpouring of support and demand for a reversal of the ruling is an indication of the energy that could be brought to bear for democratization in Kyrgyzstan.
In FY 2001, USAID intends to allocate the following amounts for activities involving technical assistance, training and institutional support: NGO Strengthening, $1,375,000; Political Process Support, $610,000; and Support for Independent Media, $1,015,000. USAID will continue all of these activities in FY 2002 in order to strengthen civil society, solidify the rule of law, and deepen respect for human rights.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: In consultation with the U.S. Embassy, the new strategy priorities include emphasizing work in the regions, particularly in the southern part of the country, fostering dialogue between NGOs and local governments, civic education, and women's civic literacy and activism. USAID will also look to develop new, innovative information programs aimed at educating and engaging citizens in community identified priority issues.
Beneficiaries: The immediate beneficiaries of our assistance include NGO activists, civic teachers, media professionals, law students, and youth. The citizens of Kyrgyzstan are the ultimate beneficiaries.
Other Donor Programs: Civil society development is a multi-donor effort in Kyrgyzstan. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), International NGO Training and Research Center (INTRAC), and the Soros Foundation all support local NGOs with small grants. UNHCR and the European Union (EU) are co-funding civil society support centers along with USAID. In cooperation with USAID, the EU also supports efforts to strengthen a legal media defense fund. Legal assistance to rural communities in southern Kyrgyzstan is co-financed by the Swiss Government and USAID. The UNDP Gender Bureau provides women's programming and the Soros Foundation funds civic education and education reform programs.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: Several USAID-funded U.S. PVOs such as the American Bar Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI), Inter-news, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Eurasia Foundation, and the International Foundation for Election System (IFES) are playing a role in promoting democracy in Kyrgyzstan. Counterpart International and the International Center for Not-for-profit Law, which together form the Counterpart Consortium, also participate in local NGO development. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) coordinates participant training.
FY 2002 Performance Table
Selected Performance Measures: Strengthened democratic culture among citizens and target institutions, 116-0211
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Percentage of targeted population exhibiting civic consciousness and activism N/A* N/A N/A 40.4% 42% 44% Indicator 2: NGO Sustainability Index N/A N/A 4.3 4.33 4.24* 4.18 Indicator 3: Technical quality of local non-governmental broadcast news on targeted stations 5.8 6.3 9.7 42.3 (55%)*** 46.1 (60%)*** 49.9 (65%) Indicator 4: Scorecard of public access to meetings and records of legislative proceedings at all levels N/A N/A N/A 68% 69% 70% *New indicator introduced in FY2000.
*** A new methodology of data collection has been introduced in FY2000. Targets have been adjusted based on the new methodology.Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S)or(IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: S Percent Public opinion poll A list of basic information questions are included in a survey to determine what percentage of targeted population exhibits increased civic consciousness and activism (as defined by percentage of citizens with civic knowledge and skills, exhibiting democratic values, and participating in political activities). Questionnaire responses are defined as positive or negative by the SO team. The mean percentage is calculated for all positive responses. Targeted population is defined as youth between 18 and 35 years old. Data is also disaggregated by gender. Indicator 2: IR Index score NGO Sustainability Index The democracy roundtable uses the E&E NGO Sustainability Index to assess the sustainability of the NGO sector. Roundtables consist of crosscutting focus groups of approximately 10 participants (5 donors and 5 NGOs). A seven-point scale is used (7 is worst and 1 is best).
**Changes by E&E in the Index methodology from 1999 to 2000 required a reassessment of target values. Therefore, current targets are projected beginning only from 2000 onwards.Indicator 3: LLR Number Internews Number of points scored on the 76-point scale (out of 19 criteria), as evaluated by Internews, from a constant sample of 10 non-governmental television broadcasters, selected by Internews. Before, it was done based on a 20-point scale (one point per criterion). Indicator 4: IR Percent Cross-cutting focus groups A scorecard will be calculated, based upon the following criteria: a) do citizens have access to records of public meetings; b) are citizens able to find out who or what group is responsible for particular areas and decisions; c) are citizens able to obtain voting records of MPs; d) are citizens granted access to meetings of the parliament; e) are citizens granted access to committee meetings; f) are committee meetings, public hearings, town hall meetings, and other forums for citizens' participation open to the independent media; g) are open committee meetings, public hearings, town hall meetings, and other forums for citizens' participation held frequently. Each of these criteria should be scored from 0 to 5 (0 - never, 5 - always). The score is the mean for all elements converted to a percentage. U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
