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Bishkek - The United Nations has set up a Civil Society Advisory Board to consult with civil society leaders and activists in Kyrgyzstan.  The main purpose of this new mechanism is to enhance dialogue and cooperation between the United Nations and civil society, in order to make the UN more effective and innovative in meeting the needs of Kyrgyzstan.

Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator, at the first full meeting of the newly appointed board with the full UN Country Team on 13 September 2007, welcomed board members by saying, “This meeting marks the start of a new approach by the UN towards working with civil society. We sincerely hope that it will not only enhance the effectiveness of our work, but will also open unexplored areas of cooperation and dialogue, leading to an enduring relationship with our civil society partners that will be enriching for all participants.”

Enhanced cooperation with civil society, Mr. Walker pointed out, is not a substitute for strong cooperation with the Government. Indeed the United Nations is proud of its continued strong and effective cooperation with all branches of Government, but believes that strengthened cooperation with civil society is also vital for the UN to be truly relevant in its work and responsive to national priorities. The two sets of relationships in fact enhance each other, and can in due course lead to a three-way dialogue and cooperation between the Government, civil society and international organizations, which is particularly important following the launch in May of the Country Development Strategy for 2007-2010. Mr Walker said he had, during his initial meetings with heads of Government agencies when he arrived in the country at the end of 2006, informed them of his intention to work as strongly and proactively with civil society as with Government.

Speaking as the first chair of the Civil Society Advisory Board (a position its members have decided to share by rotation), Raya Kadyrova, Director of Foundation for Tolerance International, welcomed the creation of the advisory board. She described it as ‘heroic’, given the challenges of working with Kyrgyzstan’s strong and growing civil society sector.

The advisory board has held three meetings so far on a wide range of issues. Its specific objectives as agreed by its members and the UN Country Team are to provide a forum to discuss UN policies at the country level to ensure better alignment of UN with national development goals and priorities; provide the UN with strategic guidance to enable it to become more effective, responsive and innovative in its programming; enhance the contribution of civil society to country strategies for achieving development goals, promoting democracy and human rights; and contribute to the empowerment and strengthening of civil society by recognising it as an  important actor in changing national realities and achieving common development goals.

The Civil Society Advisory Board is composed of 14 members, selected on the basis of their expertise and strong integrity. They represent a wide range of sectors and constituencies of civil society, including democratic governance, human rights, conflict prevention, social protection, environment, gender, religious organizations, health and education.