In Kyrgyzstan, we work with partners Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) and Civic Union to support and facilitate cooperation between citizens and security providers, as part of our efforts to institutionalise the community policing approach.

We supported 44 community policing partnership teams in local crime prevention centres (LCPCs) across the country. LCPCs are community platforms that bring neighbourhood and juvenile police inspectors together with representatives of local elder courts, women’s councils and youth committees to work on public order initiatives and crime prevention. Over 2,500 people took part in crime prevention activities, and many more (estimated at over 100,000) were reached indirectly through community security information shared through social media, TV and radio. We also worked at the national level to embed the community policing approach within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and contributed to the development and amendment of the Crime Prevention Act and State Strategy on Crime Prevention, as well as participating in sector-specific working groups and coordination meetings at national and provincial levels.

We supported 23 youth and women initiative groups to develop and implement outreach campaigns and action plans. Through trainings, experience exchange workshops, small grants and outreach at the national, sub-national and local levels, we provided spaces for young men and women – from both rural and urban areas – to come together and discuss the issues that affect them. A total of 4,521 people directly took part in the outreach campaigns, which addressed – among other things – the harmful gender norms that perpetuate conflict. Indirectly, we reached over 426,000 people through the campaigns, including people who received information from their relatives and acquaintances, had exposure through social media, radio or TV, or attended public events.

We started a new project funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund which focuses on the intersection between peacebuilding and mental health for at-risk young people. This included start-up activities with several new partners and intensive planning as the project gets under way.