Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan

The Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan in 2006 promoted public involvement in the democratic transformation of Kyrgyz society. The foundation pursued this goal primarily by supporting civil society initiatives to strengthen human rights and freedoms, improve public policy standards and formats, and increase the effectiveness and accountability of national and local government.

The following briefs describe some of the foundation’s activities and achievements in 2006.

Policymaking Benefits from Diversity Awareness

The Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan initiated diversity-awareness training for public servants to help government agencies respond fairly and effectively to Kyrgyzstan’s many ethnic, economic, and cultural groups. Civil society organizations, local government representatives, and leaders from ethnic communities worked with the foundation to develop diversity-management handbooks for local officials. The foundation conducted six workshops for 120 public servants, and prepared 12 trainers to educate public servants region-wide about diversity-management practices.

Forum Challenges Mistreatment of the Mentally Disabled

A forum organized by the foundation devised national mental health care policies to replace abusive Soviet-era practices. Kyrgyzstan has at least 50,000 people with mental disabilities, almost all of whom are simply medicated and isolated in psychiatric hospitals. Forum participants recommended that the government emphasize community and family-based prevention and treatment programs that do not stigmatize the mentally disabled.