Delivering aid ‘uphill’: Discussing development cooperation in the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
The mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan present a set of specific development challenges and opportunities to inhabitants, local governments, and international donors alike. Often, there is a mismatch...
Out of the frying pan and into the fire: Kyrgyzstani women abroad
Kyrgyzstani female labourers working abroad face a double risk: being women and being migrants. Most lack basic social and legal protection. Indira is a Kyrgyz hairdresser in Moscow. Because...
Not safe at home: Covid-19 in Kyrgyzstan
Women and girls in Kyrgyzstan have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestic violence and sexual abuse already were a serious problem in the Central Asian region as...
Emancipation or back to the kitchen? Gender and civil society in Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz state in general and the healthcare system in particular were overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. When the state was unavailable to help,...
Narrowing the digital divide in Uzbekistan’s education system: Covid-19 lessons
The Covid-19 pandemic transformed everyday realities overnight, as most services and activities had to be moved online. Education worldwide was hit hard. As schools and universities shifted to online...
Invisible migration with visible consequences
Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek is growing fast. While official data indicates only a few thousand ‘visible’ migrants moving from rural areas to the capital each year, unofficial estimations point to...
Right to Privacy in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz citizens’ right to privacy is at risk. In autumn 2019, Kyrgyz news centered mainly on government plans to install in Bishkek Chinese facial recognition cameras that were donated...
How the EU links Central Asia to Afghanistan’s development
In 2019, the European Union (EU) released a new strategy for Central Asia. Whereas the strategy is focused on the five Central Asian ‘stans’, it does seek to include...
Potential for EU-Kazakhstan cooperation on women’s empowerment
Women’s empowerment and gender equality feature prominently in the new European Union (EU) Strategy for Central Asia. They are referred to as cross-cutting issues, included in a wide range...
EU support for security sector reform in Kyrgyzstan
In its new strategy for Central Asia, the European Union (EU) ‘aim(s) to engage with Central Asian countries on the security sector and consider cooperation aimed at promoting its...