Bishkek/ July 16, 2021 –10 youth centers are now fully operating throughout Kyrgyzstan and Bishkek city, established with the financial support of the Government of Japan and UNDP, in close partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic and relevant local self-government bodies.

Youth centers are aimed at ensuring active participation of young people in the socio-economic, cultural, educational and socio-political life of local communities. Construction and repair of the centers was conducted for two years and in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was successfully completed. Now, young people are working together with local government bodies to implement state policy on youth development.

Soyuzbek Nadyrbekov, deputy director of the State Agency for Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports, spoke about immediate plans: "Systematicity and sustainability in the work of the new centers are important to us. In the next two to three weeks we'll send specialists to the youth centers who will conduct training sessions on the basics of business. Secondly, we will teach young people the actual skills of SMM and the basics of commercial promotion in social networks. In addition, young people will get acquainted with street workout, which allows mass sports and physical training without special halls or stadiums. Then we will study what other specialists to invite in order not only to systematize our work with youth centers, but also to meet their needs”.

Eldor Doliev, leader of the Youth Center in Isfana, shared how their center would work: "We intend to organize courses for the youth of our city on how to write and write business projects. We believe that with our help those who want to realize their potential and get on their feet. The first courses we will hold for free, and then, based on the results, we want to put this training on a fee basis in order to ensure self-financing of our center”.

«I am sure you are all aware that COVID-19 has led to a rise in unemployment, and particularly the young generation is seriously affected. This is not only happening in Kyrgyzstan, but all over the world. Currently more than one million Kyrgyz people are forced to work outside the country, and this situation can only be solved by creating jobs in the country. One of the requirements for better nation-building is creating a society in which youth generation can play an active role.

The Government of Japan has supported the establishment of the youth centres through UNDP with more than $300,000 grant assistance because Japan expects that the youth generation in Kyrgyzstan will become economically independent, actively engage in community activities, and revitalise their communities, which will lead to the development of the whole country» - said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Sigeki Maeda in his addressed opening speech.

Erkina Urazbaeva, Programme Analyst in UNDP Kyrgyzstan's Peace, Accountability and Justice cluster, noted: "I am very glad that we implemented this project. This allowed to increase the interest of local youth in the desire to develop and to involve local authorities in this process, who understand that the initiated work will have a positive impact on the socio-economic well-being of the region, the solution of many local problems. This interest manifested itself in the fact that the authorities allocated funds from the local budget and found resources. And today we saw sincere joy in the eyes of not only young people but also representatives of local authorities and district administration. Youth centers serve as a platform for dialogue, interaction and cooperation”.

The youth centers were initiated as part of a regional project, "Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation to Prevent Violent Extremism in Central Asia," funded by the Government of Japan.

Links to the photos: Кara-Buura, Talas oblast; Bаzar-Korgon, Jalal-Abad oblast; Chek-abad, Osh oblast; Suzak, Osh oblast; Isfana, Batken oblast.

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Contacts for media: Nurzhan Alymkanova, communications specialist. nurzhan.alymkanova@undp.org