On 31 October 2025, a Coordination Meeting was held in Bishkek within the framework of the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) project “Promoting Sustainable Development and Cooperation of Communities in the Border Areas of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.”

The event, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), brought together representatives of government institutions, international partners, and civil society organizations.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the project and identify further steps to strengthen sustainable development and interregional cooperation in the border areas of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Project partners joined the meeting online, including representatives of the Offices of the Plenipotentiary Representatives of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken regions, as well as Myktybek Osmonaliev, Coordinator of the Regional Investment Councils (RICs) for the southern region, and Ayzat Birimkulova, Legal Expert of the Jalal-Abad RIC Secretariat.

Online participants shared regional experiences and put forward proposals to enhance economic cooperation and engage local businesses.

Experts of the Business Development and Investments Council Secretariat, Cholpon Asakeeva and Azem Akmatbek, emphasized that the Regional Investment Councils (RICs) play a key role in fostering dialogue between the government, business, and local communities, laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth — fully aligned with the goals of the UN PBF project.

Myktybek Osmonaliev highlighted the importance of raising awareness among local entrepreneurs about export opportunities and supporting regional producers’ participation in international exhibitions and trade fairs.

Joint efforts of governmental and international partners are aimed at developing sustainable, secure, and economically vibrant border communities of the Kyrgyz Republic.