Kyrgyzstan

Working environment

Development of governance structures continues to take place in the Kyrgyz Republic, with the Government increasingly focusing on issues of national development, security, migration and border management. Border management remains a major concern in relations between Kyrgyzstan and neighboring countries. Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization and  national security concerns have the potential for  a negative impact on state policy on asylum. 

In this context, the process of constitutional amendments, including legislative changes encompassing issues from nationality to judicial control and structures, continued in the second half of 2016. The amendments made to the national refugee law in 2016 did not include reference to a referral mechanism in case of refugee influx as expected. Nevertheless, UNHCR supports the government to issue instructions on interactions between state bodies in case of mass influx.  

The Kyrgyz Government has displayed a keen interest in resolving the long-standing statelessness situation. Some 11,800 stateless people and people at risk of statelessness have been identified to date, and 8,670 of these cases—about 72 per cent—had their citizenship confirmed or obtained Kyrgyz citizenship.  The Government will continue investing in the registration and documentation campaign, make amendments to fill legislative gaps and is also considering accession to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. 

In 2017 UNHCR will continue its presence in the country. The key challenge will be to build upon the steady progress towards solutions for refugees and stateless people.

The Kyrgyz Republic has been operating a reception centre for asylum-seekers since 2007, however the lease of the facility expires at the end of 2016 and continuation of its operation in 2017 is subject to the Government’s decisions. The Kyrgyz Republic guarantees access to primary education to both Convention and Mandate status refugees.  

Key priorities

In 2017, UNHCR’s operation will focus on: 
•    Monitoring and further improvement of the national asylum system through quality targeted legal representation supporting a well-functioning referral mechanism, monitoring of state registration and RSD; 
•    Achieving durable solutions for most people of concern, in particular monitoring of and following up on developments regarding the obtaining of a legal status based on business grants, training and mentoring for Mandate refugees by UNHCR and its partners; and following up on possible voluntary reparation requests from Mandate status holders, which will require direct engagement of UNHCR and its partners;
•    Monitoring the resolution of identified cases of statelessness, legislative changes for civil registration and nationality, and accession to the Statelessness Conventions; 
•    Continuing emergency preparedness and monitoring activities with partners in southern Kyrgyzstan. 

Additional funding will allow for the construction of reception facilities at border checkpoints, durable solutions opportunities for refugees, and further support capacity-building activities for governmental officials dealing with citizenship issues and identification of stateless people in remote areas.