Bishkek. On July 19, 2019, the Association of Legal Clinics of Kyrgyzstan, with the support of the USAID Collaborative Governance Program, will hold a conference entitled “Role of Legal Clinics within the State-guaranteed Legal Aid System” that will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Jannat Regency Hotel, 21/2 Aaly Tokombaev Street.
The conference guest list includes representatives of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, the US Embassy, the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Justice, the Center for Coordination of State-guaranteed Legal Aid, the Board of the Bar Association of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Education, the State Migration Service, and the National Center for Mediation and Legal Clinics.
At the Final Conference, the Association of Legal Clinics of Kyrgyzstan will share its accomplishments, the results achieved, and the lessons learned through the implementation of the project “Strengthening the Interaction between Legal Clinics, the Center for Coordination of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid, the Bar Association of the Kyrgyz Republic and Relevant Universities to Improve Access to Free Legal Aid for Vulnerable Populations”.
In March 2019, the Association of Legal Clinics of Kyrgyzstan and the Center for Coordination of State-guaranteed Legal Aid under the Ministry of Justice signed a cooperation agreement to promote access to legal aid. In April, 45 law students from all regions of the country attended a series of trainings as part of the Rule of Law Summer School, where they gained knowledge and skills necessary for providing legal assistance, and also had internships with Free Legal Aid Centers (FLACs) under the Center for Coordination of State-guaranteed Legal Aid.
The Collaborative Governance Program (CGP) promotes effective collaboration between civil society and the state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by the East-West Management Institute (EWMI).