Government Environmental Policies and Legislation
The Government's environmental priorities are defined in the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP, 1995), which outlines measures such as transition to market prices for energy and water resources and strengthening other economic tools for realizing ecological goals. NEAP is directed toward short-term actions that are coordinated with long-term economic, social, and ecological goals.

NEAP aims at integrating environmental protection in economic and social development programmes. NEAP was the first document to define governmental policies in areas like nature and biodiversity conservation, preservation of water resources and land rehabilitation, avoidance of industrial pollution, and funding for environment and public information. The Government accepted the State Action Plan on Environmental Hygiene (SAPEH), which supplements NEAP, in 1999. The National Power Programme was elaborated for the period to 2005, containing a large chapter devoted to environmental protection.

Other government programmes and strategies:

· Concept of Ecological Safety of Kyrgyz Republic. In 1997 Kyrgyzstan adopted the Concept of Ecological Safety-a system of principles and priorities that defines state external and internal policy and the legal and economic mechanisms necessary for environmental protection and natural resource management.

· Strategy and Action Plan on Preservation of Biological Diversity. The Strategy and Action Plan on Preservation of Biological Diversity was accepted in 1998. The government regulations on the Strategy, however, have not yet been issued.

· International Year of Mountains. Under the initiative of President of the Kyrgyz Republic Askar Akayev, the United Nations has declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains. The Swiss Government has strongly supported related activities in Kyrgyzstan (Central Asian Mountainous Programme, Dom Gor, etc.).

· National Water Strategy. The National Water Strategy (Bishkek, 2000) is a system of principles and priorities that defines state external and internal policy and the legal and economic mechanisms necessary for maintaining rational use of water resources and the prevention of water resource degradation.

Environmental legislation in Kyrgyzstan is well developed but has more prohibitory features than promotional (see Attachment 7).

Kyrgyzstan is a party to several conventions and international instruments on the environment. Kyrgyzstan ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in January 2000, though the volume of greenhouse gases discharged in the country is small. The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic gave the Ministry on Environment and Emergency responsibility for coordinating public authorities in the fulfillment of obligations deriving from this Convention. GEF supports a project enabling the Kyrgyz Republic to prepare its first national communication in response to its commitments to the UNFCCC.

Kyrgyzstan signed the Convention on Biological Diversity in July 1996. The Ministry on Environment and Emergency, with World Bank assistance, developed a Strategy and Action Plan on Biological Diversity (initiated and financed by GEF/WB). The Strategy and Action Plan includes an analysis of the existing institutional and legal framework for administration and conservation of biodiversity in Kyrgyzstan and offers concrete recommendations to improve the situation.

Kyrgyzstan has also adhered to the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Vienna Convention) and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Kyrgyzstan joined the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1997. A Kyrgyz National Center for realizing the Republic's obligations under the Convention was opened within the Institute of Irrigation. The following priority directions for combating desertification in Kyrgyzstan were adopted in the first National Forum in 1999: informing the population about the desertification process; adopting institutional measures to strengthen the management of efforts to combat desertification; implementing efforts to combat swamping, pickling, and water and wind erosion of land; developing ecotourism; rehabilitating cattle-run potential; increasing the percentage of forested land; and monitoring desertification. The Coordination Council under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources approved the National Action Plan on Combating Desertification in Kyrgyzstan and pilot projects prepared by the National Center, other organizations, and regional specialists in December 2000.

Kyrgyzstan has undertaken several steps toward becoming a party to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The text of the Convention was approved by the relevant government departments and parliamentary commissions, and a working group for elaborating a National Action Plan was created. The Convention is expected to be signed in 2002.

National and regional ecological programmes are important means of realizing national ecological policy. The various programmes have different funding sources, executing and implementing agencies, and timeframes for the scientific/research, industrial, social, economic, and organizational measures that are intended to solve environmental problems in the most effective ways.

As can be seen in the table above, no implementing agency is directly responsible for all the GEF/SGP focal areas; instead there are cross-focal programmes and programmes indirectly connected with one or two GEF/SGP focal areas. The National Programme "Drinking Water," accepted in 1999, has not been realized because of lack of funding. Inadequate funding is the main limitation for national programmes and strategies. Intellectual potential is generally sufficient for elaborating needs, purposes, resources, working plans, and legal bases, but financing for measures planned in the programmes or strategies is typically absent. This is true also for national programmes at the regional level:

· Programme of Socio-economic Development of Naryn Region for 1998-2001 (approved by Government Resolution on 28 July 1998, No. 507)
· Programme of Socio-economic Development of Talas Region for 1998-2001 (approved by Government Resolution on 21 August 1998, No. 557)
· Programme of Socio-economic Development of Issyk-Kul Region for 1999-2009 (approved by Government Resolution from 7 December 1998, No. 802)
· Programme of Socio-economic Development of Batken Region for 2000-2005 (approved by Government Resolution from 17 August 2000, No. 499).

These programmes contain components indirectly connected with GEF/SGP focal areas, such as planting trees and gardens, rehabilitating forest plantations, and reconstructing irrigation and water-supply systems.

The World Bank-supported Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) has a wide scope for potential relationships with GEF/SGP, but the CDF similarly lacks adequate funding.

Institutional Context of NGOs
The democratic changes in Kyrgyzstan, along with the establishment of political pluralism, have offered the necessary conditions for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to organize and operate freely. NGOs in Kyrgyzstan may be established freely and may register with the Ministry of Justice for their legal operation. The normal registration procedure takes about two weeks. According to the new Kyrgyzstan Civil Code, NGOs are organizations that pursue political, scientific, cultural, religious, or other not-for-profit goals. The legal forms for non-commercial organizations are defined as public funds, agencies, public associations, religious associations, consumer co-operatives, and associations (unions) of legal entities. Each of these forms of non-commercial organization has a different potential for organizational capacity, enabling their participants to tackle various problems of human development.

There are more than 200 NGOs and other groups in Kyrgyzstan dealing with environmental concerns and trying to raise public awareness of environmental issues. Based on their work, these NGOs may be classified into two groups: (1) those focusing fully on environmental and conservation concerns, and (2) those dealing with some environmental issues in their activities, while their main focus lies with other issues.

The term community-based organization (CBO) is not clearly defined. Sometimes CBOs are confused with bodies of local self-governance. In the specific Kyrgyzstan situation where there are many small towns and villages, local NGOs might be considered CBOs. In this document, NGO will stand for widespread organizations (regional or national), while CBO and local NGO will stand respectively for community groups and local organizations.

Strengths of NGOs and CBOs
· Knowledge of local conditions and community mentality
· Knowledge of important community problems
· Preparation for social partnership
· Community focus, flexibility, non-bureaucratic nature
· Representation of the interests of local people
· Interest in final results
· Direct influence on target population

Weaknesses of NGOs and CBOs
· Weak involvement in environmental preservation activities
· Low qualification and environmental knowledge
· Insufficient access to information.
· Lack of state support
· Territorial limitations
· Weak legislative and normative basis
· Weak material and technical basis
· Weak coordination
· Lack of funding
· Little experience
· Weak involvement in decision-making, even at the local level