Foreign Operations Assistance: Kyrgyz Republic

United States Department of State
Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia
Foreign Operations Assistance Fact Sheet, April 2012*

KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

The United States provided assistance to the Kyrgyz Republic to support its transition to a stable, democratic country. Assistance goals are to strengthen democratic institutions, promote regional security, and support the rule of law and broad-based economic opportunity. U.S. assistance also supports basic humanitarian needs and development challenges in the health and education areas.

Recent Successes by Areas of Focus:

Peace & Security

• The U.S. provided in-depth interactive training to prosecutors throughout Kyrgyzstan and training and equipment to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and other law enforcement and justice system agencies.
• U.S. advisors worked with the Kyrgyz government to improve the legal/regulatory framework for export control; enhance its licensing procedures and practices; and strengthen enforcement and interdiction capabilities to better enforce border controls and prevent the proliferation of WMD-related items. Both the State Customs Service and the Border Guards have shown notable improvement in the level of communication and collaboration with U.S. technical assistance programs.
• In FY 2011, to address the need of the Kyrgyz government for professionally trained and equipped units to manage disorder responsibly and humanely, U.S. security assistance supported training, including on human rights, to 500 police stationed in Osh City, Osh and Jalalabad districts.

Governing Justly and Democratically

• BY ACCOUNT	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$41,364	$47,050	$46,725
  Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia	$36,500	$40,800	0
  Economic Support Fund	0	0	$32,819
  Foreign Military Financing	$1,496	$1,500	$1,500
  Global Health Programs - USAID	$998	2500	$4,000
  International Military Education and Training	$820	$1,000	$1,000
  International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement	0	0	$6,156
  Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs	$1,550	$1,250	$1,250

  Despite the political crises of 2010, Kyrgyzstan held a constitutional referendum and successful and competitive parliamentaryand presidential elections, all of which reflected the will of the people. The peaceful and democratic presidential transition on December 1, 2011 marked the first such transfer of power in the country’s history.
• During the elections, the U.S. provided support for election administration, training for political parties, assistance with televised candidate debates, support for civil society engagement and robust election monitoring efforts.
• With U.S. support, civil society has taken a more prominent role in public life, particularly with their mandated participation in public supervisory boards that include oversight of government ministries and the public broadcaster. One example of U.S. support for civil society stabilization and reconciliation efforts through small grants was a successful SMS news service, which sends text messages via mobile phone in Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek.

Investing in People

• BY OBJECTIVE	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$41,364	$47,050	$46,725
  Peace and Security	$5,759	$6,281	$9,156
  Governing Justly and Democratically	$8,920	$9,742	$10,900
  Investing in People	$4,642	$9,800	$7,500
  Economic Growth	$20,693	$20,127	$18,169
  Humanitarian Assistance	$1,350	$1,100	$1,000

  USG programs supported improvements throughout the Kyrgyz health sector, including preparation for a nationwide Demographics and Health Survey (DHS) in Kyrgyzstan. The DHS will assist the government and provide decision makers with databases and analyses useful for informed policy formation.

Economic Growth

• In 2010, the Kyrgyz Republic’s economy contracted significantly due to political instability, and U.S. assistance helped to restore food and animal feed production levels. The joint U.S.-Kyrgyz Economic Development Fund was formally launched in FY 2011, starting with a $4.1 million voucher program which supplied 3,600 metric tons of quality seed to 34,000 farmers, enabling them to produce at least $20 million more food than in the previous year.
• Business environment reforms resulted in estimated costs savings of $110 million for entrepreneurs, and the Kyrgyz Republic jumped from 99^th to 47^th place in the World Bank’s Doing Business report in just three years.

Humanitarian Assistance

• Rapid deployment of U.S. humanitarian assistance helped stabilize conflict-affected areas, alleviating suffering of those affected and demonstrating U.S. support for the Kyrgyz people. In FY11, U.S.-funded assistance leveraged more than $29 million in donated aid, over $23 in donated aid for every assistance dollar spent.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Coordinator's Office Annual Reports
U.S. Embassy Website
www.foreignassistance.gov
Millennium Challenge Corporation

*This fact sheet does not reflect Peace Corps funding or centrally managed or regional Foreign Operations funding that is not specifically budgeted for Kyrgyzstan.