KYRGYZSTAN TODAY Policy briefs on - Department of Geography

state policy on cooperation with NGOs, which would provide them with essential
principles of how to work with them. Put differently, there are no basic rules to which
the government institutions regardless of the area and scale of their activities can refer
when working with NGOs.
Furthermore, a detailed investigation of available legal documents on the
government-NGO relationship has suggested that a lack of a state policy on NGO
relations is half of the problem. It was discovered that the government has already
attempted to create a state programme on NGO support. However, this initiative failed
since the government had a poor commitment to and control over the implementation
of the initiative. Therefore, it was concluded that, in addition to a bare initiative, the
government should have increased responsibility for its implementation accompanied
by regular monitoring.
To sum up, there are two interconnected problems, that the government and its
institutions face in all areas and at all levels. They need a common state policy on
working with NGOs, which would offer them the basic rules of working with NGOs.
Furthermore, the central government needs proper mechanisms to implement its
policies and programmes on NGO relations. With reference to this, this policy brief
suggests creating a State Department on NGO Relations. Its key responsibility would
be to coordinate the development and implementation of the legal documents on
the government-NGO relationship such as concepts, decrees, programmes, policies,
and laws. In this way, the Department would ensure that a proper legal basis for the
government-NGOs relationship is in place and implemented accordingly. It would also
provide the various government institutions at all levels with information about and
advice on the legal documents on NGO relations.
In addition to these main functions, to contribute to the development of a more
effective relationship between the government and NGOs, the State Department on NGO
Relations would fulfill two additional tasks: a) disseminating information about the legal
documents on the government-NGO relationship to NGOs through representatives of
the NGO sector to ensure that they are also aware of them and can refer to them when
working with government institutions; and b) providing all government institutions
with information about NGOs through maintaining an NGO database to increase their
awareness of NGOs and their activities.
Problem Statement: Government-NGO Relationship in Kyrgyzstan
It is true that Kyrgyzstan has the most advanced relationship between a government
and the NGO sector in Central Asia. The Kyrgyz government has created conditions
quite conducive to the emergence and development of NGOs: NGOs can easily register
and carry out their activities. Furthermore, the government and its institutions have
been working with NGOs over the last decade. There have been successful cases of
government-NGO collaboration on various issues (gender, poverty, environment, and
others) and at all levels (national, regional, and local) (Berk et al 2007).
However, the number of these cases is limited and dispersed all over the country.
Research has revealed that the reason for this is that the government lacks an integrated
policy for working with NGOs. According to the research, most collaboration between
government institutions and the NGO sector, regardless of the area and scale of their
activities, takes place within projects funded by donors. Since donors prefer to fund oneoff
and short-term projects, the government-NGO relationship tends to be temporary
and unsustainable. In fairness to the donors, it should be pointed out that, by requiring
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