Bishkek, July 10, 2013 — A two-day High-Level Development Conference starts today in Bishkek with the aim of reviewing the 2010-13 achievements of the Kyrgyz Republic and establishing future priorities for collaboration. The conference is organized by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic with support from the World Bank Group and other development partners.
The event brings together 150 participants, representing the Kyrgyz presidency, government, parliament and judiciary, civil society and the private sector, international development partners and financial institutions. The main objectives of the conference for the Kyrgyz Government and its development partners are to confirm their commitment to the 2013-17 National Sustainable Development Strategy, to identify critical remaining policy and financing challenges, and to agree on key priorities for collaboration over the next four years.
“Having adopted a new Constitution, the people of Kyrgyzstan, chose the path of parliamentary democracy and is now working on the implementation of the 2013-17 National Sustainable Development Strategy,” – noted President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev in his welcome address. – “We hope for a large scale and targeted support of the international community so that the development goals of the Kyrgyz Republic could be jointly achieved. Coordination of efforts of the donor community and country authorities in implementing the National Development Strategy is, in my view, the key purpose of today’s conference.”
“One of our tasks today is to increase the effectiveness and targeting of the external aid. Being a young democracy and transitioning to a parliamentary regime in Central Asia region, Kyrgyzstan, as never before needs support of its development partners,” – Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev said in his opening remarks.
The first day of the conference will be devoted to the review of progress achieved by the country since the 2010 High-Level Donors Meeting that took place, discussion of the 2013-17 National Sustainable Development Strategy and reforms planned by the Kyrgyz Government as part of the national development agenda. On the second day participants will identify specific areas for collaboration within four working groups, chaired by the respective Deputy Prime Ministers: “Economy and Finance,” “Governance,” “Infrastructure and the Real Sectors,” and “The Social Dimension.”
Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia, stressed the importance of an open and constructive dialogue. “We designed this conference to maximize the opportunity for dialogue: dialogue about economic and social policies, a dialogue that is substantive, evidence-based, analytical and open,” he noted. On behalf of the international development partners Saroj Kumar Jha outlined 10 key policy challenges that must be addressed by 2017 if the National Sustainable Development Strategy is to deliver shared prosperity and reduced poverty. He also reiterated the World Bank Group’s commitment to being a partner of the Kyrgyz Government in the framework of the National Sustainable Development Strategy.
Following the discussions, conference participants will present a joint concluding declaration, which will confirm the international community’s support for new projects in the Kyrgyz Republic over 2013-2017 and highlight the need for strong policies and efficient institutions in order to turn the proposed reforms into reality.
In 2010, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic organized a High-Level Meeting of Donors in the aftermath of the April and June 2010 events. The event, attended by representatives of 14 countries and 15 international organizations, provided an opportunity for an open and constructive dialogue between the new authorities of the country and the international community, with participants committing themselves to concrete actions. In response to the emergency needs of the country, the development partners pledged a total amount of US$ 1.1 billion to be disbursed within 30 months to support essential public expenditures and services, social needs, and critical investments.
