A conference on "Civil Society in Support of Effective Governance: Best Practices and Approaches" held in Almaty

Almaty, Kazakhstan - On March 15-16, 2016, a regional conference on "Civil Society in Support of Good Governance: Best Practices and Approaches" was held in Almaty. The conference was organized by the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) and UNDP in Kazakhstan as part of USAID's Initiative to Support Good Governance.

The conference participants - representatives of regional non-governmental and international organizations and of the state structures of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, as well as the media - discussed the possibility of cooperation between the state and civil society in good governance and analyzed specific examples of how individual NGOs can change the face of an entire region.

Azaliya Dairbekova, the project manager of the ISGG (Institute for the Support of Good Governance), cited the following changes as examples: “projects such as ‘Prevention of Social Orphanhood,’ implemented by the Children of Chernobyl and Aral Foundation, together with the Department of Health and Social Development of Kyzylorda Oblast and the regional Akimat within the framework of the ISGG program, helped to dramatically reduce the number of Kyzylorda parents’ refusals to raise their children. Thanks to the work of the Foundation, 12 out of 13 refused children were returned to families in the eight months of the project’s implementation. In December 2015, this project was recognized as the best social project in the region. "

Further, many participants were able to share their experiences pertaining to project implementation in various spheres of public administration and programs, talk about the successes and problems associated with the interaction between NGOs and the state, receive recommendations for solving various situations, and establish necessary contacts.

The ISGG program focuses on promoting systematic interaction between civil society organizations and government bodies that will lead to the long-term improvement of specific public services, elements of the legal framework or policies, and mechanisms and processes, regardless of industry or sphere.

Special sessions on the problems of people with disabilities and people living with HIV were held at the conference. In addition, there was a fair of products made by people with disabilities.

USAID's "Initiative to Support Good Governance" (ISGG), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is being implemented by the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. ISGG is a multi-phase financing program for non-profit organizations with the goal of promoting initiatives in public administration in cooperation with civil society. The program has implemented over 60 projects in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Download the summary of the conference

Speaker presentations are available at this link

Photos from the conference can be downloaded at the following links:

PHOTOS (1 folder)

PHOTOS (2 folders)