On January 15, 2013, the Center for Public Technologies brought together civil society organizations, representatives from the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and Members of Parliament to launch a new guide to working with local government bodies.  The “Practical Management Guide,” developed and printed through support from USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI), provides Aiyl Okmotu kenesh (township council) members and local government administration officials with information about the roles and functions of sub-national government institutions. The Center for Public Technologies produced the manual in an effort to strengthen the management skills within local government offices. The event took place at 10:00 a.m. at the Meridian Business Center Maximum, #109/2 Turusbekov Street in Bishkek.

With a significant number of new officials joining the government in the aftermath of the 2010 political revolution, a deficit in management skills at the local level has led to a need to improve the capacity to effectively deliver public services. “The adoption of the new Constitution in 2010 opened new perspectives for developing local government in the country,” says Dinara Shavraliyeva, the Director of the Center for Public Technologies. “Development in local communities will depend on the knowledge, skills and professional competency of municipal representatives.”

The Center for Public Technologies will distribute 1270 manuals in Kyrgyz language and 1420 in Russian in coordination with UNDP’s Local Deputy Capacity-Building project. The International Republican Institute will deliver training workshops on local government administration for local government and local council officials in all seven oblasts of the country.

To learn more about activities supported by the American people through USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) and other USAID programs, please visit our website at: http://kyrgyzstan.usaid.gov/.