Ulahol Ayil Aimak won a competition for the best Service Improvement Action Plan conducted in the framework of the Public Service Improvement (PSI) project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by a consortium of organizations composed of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and the Development Policy Institute. The Service Improvement Action Plan is a systematic method that allows to identify priority public and municipal services as well as to plan and improve their organization and execution.

The cultural center will provide recreation services, such as dancing classes, language courses and other educational activities. It will have a playground for children and a WI-FI zone. 

“From this day on, residents of the villages of Ottuk and Kara-Shaar will receive affordable services of good quality in the field of cultural leisure. All necessary conditions are created in the center to allow for people with disabilities take an active part in the cultural life of the village; before, there was nothing for them in the village at all,” - said Mamatkerimov Akylbek, Head of Ulahol AO. “ ”Previously, young girls and boys did not know what to do in the evenings, some would enjoy playing football, but the rest sat at home; from now on, they have a place where they can meet together, communicate and develop.”

In Ulahol Aiyl Aymak, the project also provides advisory and consultative support regarding the creation of a long-term plan for the provision of additional services in the field of leisure and culture taking into account the local priorities.

“It is crucial to keep in mind that improving service provision is an ongoing process. It is not only about procurement of new equipment or renovation of buildings. It is mostly about good management by local self-governments, ensuring that services are of good quality, can be accessed by all residents and are maintained in a sustainable way” – said René Holenstein, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic.

In total, the PSI project supports the implementation of 35 Service Improvement Action Plans worth over 91 million soms with municipal contributions amounting to almost 28 million soms, corresponding to 30% of the total amount. Among the services to be improved there are nine initiatives to ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water, twelve initiatives to improve the quality and accessibility of preschool and school education, six plans to improve communal and housing services in municipalities etc.

Over the course of three years, the State Service for Regulation and Supervision of Financial Markets and the World Bank will work towards raising the quality of audit services and building trust in the audit profession, as well as strengthening financial reporting capacity and raising public accountability of state-owned enterprises. In addition, the KAREP project will help SMEs to bridge their accounting knowledge gap and compile financial statements acceptable to local banks, thus, contributing to improvement of access to finance for smaller businesses.

“KAREP is an important government-driven and government-led initiative to modernize and strengthen corporate financial reporting policies and practices in the public and the private sector in Kyrgyzstan. This will contribute to improved governance through the adoption of international best practices in financial reporting and auditing. This is an ambitious goal, but we certainly have the right partners to succeed,” said Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic Véronique Hulmann.

“Increasing transparency and accountability of the Kyrgyz economy is among the priority tasks of the Kyrgyz Government’s “40 steps to New Era” and also of the 2014-2020 Strategy for development of financial reporting of the Kyrgyz Republic,” said Sanjar Mukanbetov, head of the State Service for Regulation and Supervision of Financial Markets. “The project will contribute to building a more transparent relationship between the state and the private sector, which is prerequisite for promoting competitiveness, diversification, productivity and job creation in the Kyrgyz Republic.”

Bolormaa Amgaabazar, World Bank Country Manager in the Kyrgyz Republic stressed the importance of the effective financial reporting as a measure to improve business environment in the Kyrgyz Republic. “The improved understanding and use of financial information will establish a basis for informed decision making by business owners, investors and lenders, enhanced supervision by regulators and better access to finance for growing enterprises.” said Bolormaa Amgaabazar.

The project will benefit the Kyrgyz business community and other stakeholders, including state and privately owned companies, SMEs, Kyrgyz government and regulators, accounting and audit profession in general, as well as students majoring in related disciplines. It will be managed by the Centre for Financial Reporting Reform (CFRR), the World Bank’s specialist center in Vienna for providing knowledge and advisory services to support reforms in financial reporting.

The Government of Switzerland provides assistance for the development of the Kyrgyz Republic. The overall objective of its cooperation program is to promote peace and social cohesion as well as responsive and inclusive institutions and a sustainable development to improve the well-being of the population. Over the last 25 years Switzerland has granted more than CHF 360 million to Kyrgyzstan to support the transition process. For more information, please visit www.eda.admin.ch/bishkek

The World Bank’s overall mission in the Kyrgyz Republic is to reduce poverty, promote economic growth and shared prosperity. 50 percent of the World Bank’s assistance to the Kyrgyz Republic is in the form of grants. The other 50percent is in highly concessional credits – no interest, and only a 0.75 percent service charge. Credits are repayable in 38 years, including a 6-year grace period, while grants require no repayment. The financial assistance to the Kyrgyz Republic since 1992 amounts to over US$ 1.1 billion. For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/kg