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WFP Kyrgyz Republic Country Brief, August 2018

Countries
Kyrgyzstan
Sources
WFP
Publication date

In Numbers

  • 725 mt of food assistance distributed
  • US$ 34,201 cash-based transfers made
  • US$ 0 six months (September 2018 – February 2019) net funding requirements
  • 11,273 people assisted in August 2018

Operational Context

The Kyrgyz Republic is a land-locked, mountainous country located at the centre of the Eurasian continent with a territory of 199,000 sq. km. The country borders China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Two-thirds of the country’s multiethnic population live in rural areas, which are the poorest areas, and a quarter of the population lives below the national poverty line of USD 1.3 per day. As of 2017, GDP per capita stands at USD 1,272.

The country's high dependency on the import of basic food items, particularly wheat, continues to negatively affect the most vulnerable food insecure households, who spend over half of their household income on food-related expenses. Poor food diversification can lead to malnutrition; in the Kyrgyz Republic, this translates to 13 percent of children aged from 2 to 5 years old suffering from stunting and 43 percent of children affected by anaemia.

Operational Updates

  • Between 1-3 August, the Government and UN press services jointly visited several rural infrastructure projects, including WFP project sites in Uzgen, Nookat, and Kadamjay districts, within the framework of the 2018 Regional Development Year. The media groups were filming a TV show featuring the long-standing success of projects under the Country Strategic Plan aimed at agricultural production enhancement, rural assets improvement and disaster risk mitigation.
  • On 13 August, WFP Country Director participated at a meeting of the National Council for Sustainable Development under the chairmanship of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. The participants discussed the draft of the National Development Strategy of the country for 2018-2040, including issues related to food security and nutrition.
  • In August, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project experts conducted an oversight mission to visit the new WFP processing workshops in Aksy, Uzgen, Alay and Aravan districts. During the visit, the JICA experts observed the capacity and potential of milk processing, fruit drying and canning facilities, and gave their technical recommendations on ‘starting a business’ processes, hygiene and marketing. JICA expressed its willingness to partner with WFP’s interventions in producing quality products.
  • In August, WFP participated in the nationwide August Education Conference organised by the Government. The Ministry of Education and Science initiated a special session on nutrition in schools where the Ministry together with WFP presented the work plan of the School Meals Programme and its roadmap for the next five years.
  • Between 27-29 August, WFP Country Director conducted an oversight visit to Talas province to monitor the implementation of WFP projects and meet with the Governor and local authorities to update them on the joint implementation of the Country Strategic Plan.