The "Rural Development Fund" and members of the "Birlik" Association participated in a round table in honour of the International Mountain Day

President Sadyr Japarov announced an initiative to declare 2023-2027 as the "Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic organized the event to present the concept of the "Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions" and to increase the awareness of international partners, members of the Mountain Partnership, and representatives of the local agricultural industry.
Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Aibek Moldogaziev, UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic Antje Grawe, and Head of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at FAO Rosalaura Romeo gave welcome speeches at the event.

Nurlan Aitmurzaev, the Special envoy of the President, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, delivered a report on the "Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions". He announced a set of Kyrgyzstan's initiatives aimed at solving the problems of mountainous countries in the field of economy and trade, science, education and culture, environmental protection, climate change and prevention of natural disasters, as well as international cooperation in these areas.
Azamat Temirkulov, Head of the Monitoring and Reforms Department of the President's Administration, Beksultan Ibraimov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Technical Supervision, Dinara Rakhmanova, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Deputy Representative in Kyrgyzstan, Monica Rizal, UN Development Programme Deputy Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, Iskenderbek Aidara, Organic Farming Federation Head, presented their ideas and proposals for the action plan. Representatives of the Association of Forest Users and Land Users of Kyrgyzstan Aitkul Burkhanov, Cholpon aiyl okmotu Kochkor district of Naryn province Urmat Omurbekov spoke about positive experiences in the development of mountain regions. Bekzhan Supanaliev, General Director of Green Finance Centre Bishkek, moderated the meeting.

It is important to note that Sonungul Jyltyrova, head of the commercial cooperative "Issyk-Kol Organica", a member of the association "Birlik", made a presentation: " Medical herbs to support the well-being of farmers in mountain communities" at the round table. Also, farmers from this association, established under the Go green project of the Rural Development Fund, demonstrated teas made from medical herbs grown by them at the exhibition of products of the Mountain Partnership members at the roundtable.

The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, particularly the ambassadors of France, and Japan, government agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as non-governmental organizations - members of the Mountain Partnership.
The round table was the final stage of "the Year of Mountain Ecosystems Protection and Climate Resilience", announced by President Sadyr Japarov as well as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The UN Country Team in Kyrgyzstan supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in organizing the roundtable.