Photo by Civil Society Initiative (CSI)
By Aizharkyn Kozhobekova Director of Civil Society Initiative
Central Asian civil society faces a multitude of challenges. While the sector’s capabilities and legitimacy have improved in recent decades, considerable work remains to be done. The region’s limited operating environment has resulted in the establishment of civil society organisations (CSOs) that are separated from their constituency, isolated from worldwide best practices and primarily donor-driven. These limits have significantly hampered civil society’s ability to be effective change agents at the local and national levels. Political change, as well as the general geopolitical situation, has a huge impact on civic activism and the activities of civil society institutions. In this context, educational and research institutions that can contribute to the development of civil society and to a broader understanding of its role in the development of society and the state, individuals, and communities are becoming increasingly important.
The University of Central Asia (UCA) launched the Civil Society Initiative (CSI) as a part of the Graduate School of Development (GSD) in 2017 to enrich development thinking by bringing to the foreground the importance of associational life in the well-being of communities and society and civil society organisations as drivers of efforts to give people a voice on policy and governance. From May 2017 to October 2018, the Aga Khan Foundation (USA) provided a year-long grant as a first step towards the possible establishment of an Institute for Civil Society at UCA and to conduct and manage research that explored the nature of and examined the opportunities and impediments facing the development of civil society in Central Asia, as well as to leverage the results of research activities as evidence to engage diverse regional stakeholders and inform policy and practice across the region.
The initiatives proposed within UCA-CSI are in line with Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) and UCA’s broader mission to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its remote mountain societies, while at the same time helping the different peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions and heritages as assets for the future.
Taking a regional approach focused on building domestic institutional and leadership capacity, CSI is focused on three areas based on a long-term perspective:
- Knowledge: Research, communication and discussion.
- Skills: Training opportunities and professional development.
- Resource: Convenor of philanthropy.
Within six years, CSI has implemented a series of meaningful projects and initiatives.
In 2018, CSI led the effort of the Kyrgyz Republic in joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which involves 79 countries representing more than 2 billion people, along with thousands of CSOs, in a commitment to promote accountable, responsive and inclusive governance. CSI conducted a number of civic discussions on open data, in particular on data disclosure in the mining industry, on state/municipal property ownership, and on external and internal state borrowings.
In 2019, CSI was a keynote speaker at the DATACON regional conference held in Bishkek which brought 600 young people together to learn about the OGP framework and opportunities in their activities to monitor and provide input on various activities and services delivered by public agencies.
CSI then launched the regional conference “New pathways to development”. The conference provided a platform for key stakeholders — government, members of parliament, civil society organisations, corporations, and researchers — to discuss and debate new approaches to foster the growth of a vibrant civil society. Over 150 attendees from 12 countries participated in the conference and 29 speakers provided presentations and reports.
CSI considers philanthropy as providing research-based evidence for various stakeholders, including international donors and policy makers to inform their further interventions so they can make relevant decisions. All the above-mentioned projects helped to create a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for to discuss issues related to the development of civil society and to be informed on what interventions or changes are in need.
In 2020, CSI delivered workshops on “Women’s Voices Amid the Covid-19 Crisis” to 20 women-led organisations to help them develop ideas on Covid-19 response practices. It was held as part of a Covid-19 Emergency Response project funded by the Canadian government’s Foundation for Empowerment and Health in Asia programme. The seminars gave institutional capacity development training and technical assistance to women-led and gender equality-focused groups. They aimed to create a vibrant community of women-led organisations from around Kyrgyzstan as well as give participants a platform for case studies of best practices and projects relevant to addressing Covid-19. Small grants were offered by the project partner, the Aga Khan Foundation to organisations that developed initiatives during the workshops.
Since 2021, with the support of the Government of Canada-funded Regional Programme, Foundations for Health and Empowerment Education (F4HE), and Advancing Gender Equity through Civil Society (AGECS) CSI has been leading a School for the Advancement of Gender Equality (SAGE). SAGE aims to assist gender advocacy organisations and women-led organisations to promote gender equality and focuses on mentoring, on-the-job training and learning, as well as peer-to-peer exchanges based on the results of Rapid Gender Analysis. Two SAGE cohorts, consisting of more than 100 organisations, have established a community of practice to promote gender equality in the Central Asian region.
In 2022, CSI launched a series of roundtable CSI Talks to establish a platform for the integration of various stakeholders to discuss civil society issues, and to provide civil society organisations and donors with evidence-based research to inform their further activities. Given the critical knowledge gaps concerning the role and functioning of civil society in Central Asia, this will help build greater legitimacy across the region. Central Asian societies will benefit from greater public awareness and education on the important roles of civil society, redefining the interpretation and general understanding of civil society, taking account of cultural contexts, diversity and specific demographics.
By opening spaces for knowledge-sharing and learning, CSI contributes to building the organisational capacity of a wide range of civil society groups and broader public awareness of their essential contribution to society.
Dr. Aizharkyn Kozhobekova (Aijarkyn Kojobekova) is a Director of Civil Society Initiative. Over the years she collaborated with different local and international organisations, including Open Society Institute, UNDP, UNESCO, IFES, SaferWorld, IWPR, Soros-Kyrgyzstan Foundation, Aigine Cultural Research Center and others. Her research interests include social/cultural memory studies, nationalism and nation building process, gender issues, political implications of religion, civil society and CSOs in Kyrgyzstan.
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