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Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic –On 20 November 2013, the University of Central Asia (UCA) and the Kyrgyz Russian Slavonic University (KRSU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for UCA instructors to pursue a Masters in Management degree.

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, November 25, 2013—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a $12 million financing package to Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank (KICB), helping the lender expand access to finance for smaller businesses and encouraging economic growth in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Naryn-based Tenir Too journalist, Klara Esenalieva, was recently awarded first place in the Development Policy Institute’s Movement for Budget Transparency national journalism competition in the Kyrgyz Republic. One of her winning articles, entitled UCA is the Future of Naryn, was published on 26 March 2013 by Tenir Too press. It highlights how the University of Central Asia (UCA) addressed community concerns regarding the construction of its Naryn campus.

As of Monday 18th of November 2013 the Embassy of Switzerland will join the “Visa Information System” of the Schengen countries and start to issue biometric Schengen visa for Switzerland. Biometric data (fingerprints and biometric photo) will be taken from visa applicants with destination to Switzerland.

The “Visa Information System” aims to simplify the visa procedure, facilitate checks at the external border crossing points of the Schengen zone and ensure the security of the visa holders. The application procedure is getting easier as fingerprints are saved for almost five years and applicants within this period will not need to give fingerprints for a second time.

Organised by EBRD UNCITRAL Initiative and WTO GPA Secretariat

 

Public procurement markets are an often neglected, but important part of international trade, amounting to the equivalent of 10 to 15 per cent of some country’s GDP. Modern procurement is about ensuring efficient and transparent processes and to promote this a workshop was held in Bishkek on 5-6 November.

 

Organised by the EBRD UNCITRAL Initiative in cooperation with the WTO GPA Secretariat the seminar was specifically tailored to review and discuss new draft procurement legislation by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Finance in the context of potential negotiations about the Kyrgyz Republic’s accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

More than 200 graduates from the University of Central Asia’s Aga Khan Humanities Project (UCA-AKHP) and School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) were awarded certificates at UCA’s 5th Graduation Ceremony at the Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe on 21 September 2013.

“UCA’s programmes in Dushanbe demonstrate the importance of the University having a presence in the capital and our commitment to meeting critical educational needs there. In fact, UCA will be expanding our programmes in Dushanbe in the near future," said UCA Director General Bohdan Krawchenko.

Jany-Kyshtak village, Osh Province, 8 October– A crowd of women, men, and children surround legal counsels of a mobile clinic. All of them want to gain information on how to obtain identity documents and access to all of citizen’s entitlements.

Generation without passports

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Christian Beddies, visited Bishkek from September 18 to October 2, 2013 to hold discussions for the fifth review under a three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement (Press Release No. 11/245).

The mission reached staff-level agreement with the Kyrgyz authorities on measures needed for the conclusion of the review. This agreement requires approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is expected to consider the Kyrgyz Republic’s request for completion of the fifth review in early December 2013. Upon approval, SDR 9.514 million (about US$15 million) would be made available to the Kyrgyz Republic. This would bring total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 57.084 million (about US$90 million).

Press tour to Osh province of Kyrgyzstan within the framework of UN Delivering as One 18 and 20 September 2013

Women represent up to 40% of the population, employed in agricultural sector, in the Kyrgyz Republic, where agricultural production prevails. Their rights to land and access to economic resources are limited. The lack of land lot and migration of their male relatives very often are resulting in limited job, income and opportunities for supporting their families. Due to this fact rural women represent the largest part of rural households with permanently low level of food security and restricted opportunities for improving social and economic status.

Public Lecture Announcement
Yahia Baiza, Research Associate, The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), London, United Kingdom

Abstract
This lecture will describe an analysis of 11 years of international engagements in Afghanistan, with a particular focus on the reconstruction and redevelopment of education. The key purpose of this presentation is to analyse the achievements, challenges and expectations in the field of education over the past 11 years. From 2002 to 13, the international community has supported the development of a modern and moderate state and the peace building process in Afghanistan.