Despite the improved security situation in Kyrgyzstan since 2010, providing a stable environment for growth and development remains a challenge. The country continues to face threats to long-term peace and security, including weak governance, political instability, poor access to justice, violence against women and girls and inter-ethnic tensions. Our work focuses on community policing and community security and supporting young people to build peace.

With our partners – including the Foundation for Tolerance International – we delivered four workshops on peacebuilding responses to violence for 88 police officers and members of crime prevention centres, and we conducted 27 outreach campaigns to promote community policing to authorities and police. We met regularly with government officials to discuss Kyrgyzstan’s national policies on crime prevention, and to coordinate a joint approach to community policing and community security with the crime prevention centres that we support. The officials expressed a keen interest in continuing to work with us on crime prevention legislation.

We conducted a three-day participatory youth forum with 60 young people from remote areas of Kyrgyzstan to discuss their role in preventing violence, improving security and building peace in their communities. We trained 210 young women and men on peace, tolerance and democracy at a four-day camp for young people, and over 5,000 people participated in outreach campaigns led by young people on conflict sensitivity and alternative messages to divisive narratives. We also organised debates and theatre forums on democracy, religion and tolerance, and tours to universities for girls and their parents to give them an insight into higher education.