Report by Head of OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek: UK response, May 2022
Deputy Ambassador Brown voices UK support for the work of OSCE's Programme Office in Bishkek, including on cross-border cooperation and security, media freedom and green economy.
I would like to welcome you, both Ambassador Rogov and Doctor Wolters, back to the Permanent Council. Thank you and your colleagues for your report and the work you have undertaken over the last year.
Kyrgyzstan is an important partner to the UK, and we follow developments there closely.
Firstly thank you, Dr Wolters, for your report on the work of the Academy and setting out in particular the challenges you faced linked to the situation in Afghanistan and the progress you made to find solutions. The Academy in Bishkek’s reputation is well founded, and we welcome its comprehensive gender-mainstreaming efforts and the development and adoption of a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, as well as the Harassment Policy. We look forward to hearing more about the new courses on Human Rights and Sustainability and wish the Academy every continued success.
Mr Chair, I would like to pick out three particular areas of the Programme Office’s work that we think deserve special mention.
Firstly, the work on cross-border cooperation and cross-border security. The clashes on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border – and their risk of escalation – continue to be a concern. We welcome the clear personal interest you, Ambassador Rogov, have shown in this issue. We welcome the exercises you organised for border guards from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to bolster co-operation along the state borders and provide an opportunity to discuss ways to resolve border incidents. It was pleasing to read that some progress was made in the delimitation and demarcation processes with Tajikistan.
We support the extensive work your office is doing in the Batken Province. Ensuring the compatibility of communication infrastructure among the local Border Service, training women in business planning, and supporting local enterprises, are all valuable activities in enhancing prosperity and improving dialogue which reduces the risks of insecurity in the region.
Second, on media freedom. As the Representative on Freedom of the Media said last week, we are witnessing an unprecedented regression in media freedom and a severe clamp down on independent reporting across the OSCE region. We must be alert to the consequences for our societies, our democracies and our common security.
We therefore welcome the work your office is doing with young people, improving their knowledge of the media and how this can be used to fight intolerance and violent extremism. But the media’s power to be a positive influence is only as great as the extent to which it is able to exert that power. We welcome that Kyrgyzstan has risen up the ranks of the Media Freedom Index this year, but there is still work to be done. We hope that your office can play a role in ensuring Kyrgyzstan maintains the progress made and – in line with your objectives – empowers the media to be a force for positive change. A free and responsible media is also an important tool in de-escalating tensions when they arise.
And finally, the work your office has done on the Green Economy. We were delighted to welcome President Japarov at COP26 in November with his Nationally Determined Contributions pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44% by 2030 with international support. We encourage Kyrgyzstan to prioritise climate issues, and it is good to see this reflected in your office’s work, and particularly through the engagement of young people.
We particularly welcome the support your office is providing to the Green Economy Forum. In the UK we recognise that the transition to a green economy will bring a range of advantages to the economy and deliver strong, sustainable and balanced growth.
Mr Chair, our discussions today take place against the ongoing shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which impacts on the security of all OSCE participating States. We support the OSCE’s work through the Programme Office in Bishkek on comprehensive security and would like to thank the teams in Bishkek for their hard work over the last year and wish them all the very best for the future.