Osh, Kyrgyzstan (22 July 2010) —More than 1,100 people in the cities most affected by violence in southern Kyrgyzstan last month have started work on repairing roads, cleaning up irrigation systems, removing litter and restoring parks as part of an initiative by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and local municipalities.
Following the crisis that displaced some 400,000 people in the region last month, UNDP has launched a cash-for-work programme in the major cities of Osh and Jalalabad aiming to bring short-term jobs to unemployed youth and women.
Workers qualified for the programme are provided with regular work and income for a period of two weeks. They then rotate with others to maximize the spread of the salary which amounts to 300 soms (US$6.50) daily, paid in twice-weekly installments.
The payments inject much-needed cash into the local economy and provide people with funds they need to restart their lives and begin reconstruction of essential public infrastructure. The initiative is part of a larger public works programme launched in July.
Cash-for-work has been a successful tool for economic recovery, stabilization and reconciliation in other post-crisis situations, for example in Haiti and Liberia.
“The cash-for-work programme can give communities of southern Kyrgyzstan a sense of ownership of the reconstruction process,” said Kori Udovicki, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Europe and CIS. “That and our ability to engage with local groups of youth, women, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, can turn the public works into a key contributor to the long-term recovery and reconciliation process.”
UNDP has set aside US$1.4 million for the southern Kyrgyzstan programme which is scheduled to run until the end of 2010. It is actively seeking additional funds to scale up the programme.
One participant in the Jalalabad programme, Gulnar Bidokhimova, was trained as a nurse but had been working as a market trader when the protests and violence started: “Due to the violent events, the local market was closed and I lost my job. When I heard about this opportunity from my friends, I approached the Mayor’s office and registered with a team of painters. I am very thankful to all organizers of the project for this opportunity to have an income.”
UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
Learn more from Aida Mambetkulova at 391816 (ext. 105) or intern@prp.undp.kg
