The central government has created an Office of Local Government with a clear mandate to strengthen local governments. Elections have been held in the 455 villages for the local council. All of the villages have enacted charters and the country s 19 towns plus Bishkek are in the process of doing so. As a further move to strengthen local government, the national government has begun a process of transferring state-owned assets to local governments. However, limited authority, resources and skills at the local government level are serious constraints to the Government s efforts in creating strong local governments.
Immediate beneficiaries are public sector officials and service providers.
Ultimate beneficiaries are the local people who will benefit from improved public services. Although there were delays in project start-up, steps towards achieving the results are underway. Work has commenced in Tokmok as one of the pilot cities for developing budgeting and financial management systems. Mechanisms are in place to deliver the training courses in financial management, general management and leadership which are being adapted to the Kyrgyz situation. However, over the past few months the pace of implementation has increased and year one targets are close to being achieved.