Kyrgyzstan

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

$259,044
To strengthen the capacity of the National Alliance of Business Associations (NABA) through technical assistance and support for an advocacy campaign. CIPE and its local partner, the Bishkek Business Club, will organize its annual forum, host its monthly meetings, and publish its newsletter. Activities within this project will serve as consensus-building and coalition-strengthening platforms and as mediums for informational campaigns, open dialogue, and inclusive processes in approach to policymaking.

Human Rights and Democracy Center

$25,000*
To encourage human rights and democracy education in middle schools and high schools in southern Kyrgyzstan. The civic education program will include basic and advanced t raining for middle and high school teachers to enable them to teach human rights and democracy courses. The Center will also conduct an essay contest and a summer seminar for students.

Human Rights Center "Citizens against Corruption"

$45,770*
To bolster civil society initiatives among vulnerable groups, promote citizen’s oversight of the parliament, and defend human rights. The organization will provide training to members of ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups to enable them to form NGOs and defend themselves in the future. The organization will provide legal consultation and representation in the courts in cases that have human rights dimensions. The organization will form citizens groups in seven regions to monitor the activities of political parties.

Independent Human Rights Group

$49,836
To provide quality legal representation in human rights cases. The Group will receive clients and lawyers in its offices and offer consultations on a wide range of legal issues. The organization’s priorities will be strategic litigation to bring government officials and institutions into court for violations of the law and violations of human rights. The Group will advocate legal and judicial reforms, train local lawyers, and conduct information campaigns.

Institute for Public Policy

$46,520
To increase the professionalism of young journalists, train them in international standards of journalism and expose them to policy discussions on key issues. The Institute will develop a series of training materials with a focus on covering foreign policy issues.

Jalalabad Regional Human Rights Organization Spravedlivost

$47,200 *
To support its network of human rights NGOs in southern Kyrgyzstan. Spravedlivost will continue to coordinate a regional human rights network and to serve as a resource center for NGOs in the region. The network will provide pro-bono legal services, conduct monitoring of conditions in pretrial detention, and observe the judicial process. Spravedlivost will administer a small grants program and a legal defense fund.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

$340,000
To increase access to independent sources of information and to encourage civic engagement and activism, the National Democratic Institute will continue to operate a network of 17 “information centers” across all seven regions of Kyrgyzstan. Each center will distribute a daily news digest and will have a reading room stocked with more than a dozen newspapers, along with democracy and human rights-related publications. The centers will also host community discussion groups focused on issues important to local citizens.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

$280,000
To enhance the ability of NGOs in Kyrgyzstan to advocate for, monitor, and raise awareness on electoral reform by providing guidance and limited financial support to coalitions of NGOs engaged in joint advocacy projects, long-term election monitoring, and citizen education. NDI will also assist regional civic groups to advocate on reform issues important to citizens at the grassroots. To implement these programs, NDI will draw on the relationships it has developed in Kyrgyzstan over the past ten years.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

$120,840
To enhance the capacity of selected political parties to monitor Kyrgyzstan’s 2008 local elections. NDI will assist Kyrgyzstan’s major political parties in mobilizing party pollwatchers to observe the conduct of the October local council elections, increasing cooperation between regional party activists and their local council members, and improving the constituent relations of party-affiliated local council members.

Public Association “House of Journalists”

$25,137
To provide legal trainings and support for media. The organization, based in northern Kyrgyzstan, will operate a resource center for journalists and media professionals and provide free legal consultations. The organization will conduct training classes and workshops for journalism students, journalists, and media professionals; advocate for improvements in legislation governing the media in Kyrgyzstan; and publish a monthly newsletter.

Youth Human Rights Group

$54,995
To develop a national network for youth and youth organizations, to sponsor local youth initiatives, and to provide internships in Bishkek. The organization will develop a civil society network focused on youth issues and youth policy; support six working groups of students to address problems for youth in the regions of Kyrgyzstan; and provide expenses and training for four interns.