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Kyrgyzstan is a multiethnic country with little or no open violent conflict. However, weak governance, lack of dialogue and trust between the population and the authorities, unequal power relations, and the marginalization of some groups, including youth and women, feeds discontent. Newly formed borders created after the fall of the Soviet Union have resulted in recurring disputes over land, water, and other scare resources. These tensions, compounded by small eruptions of violence at the local level, hamper peaceful development in the country. Given this context, the Government of Kyrgyzstan, together with UNDP and the Foundation for Tolerance International, launched a peace and development analysis. This initiative brings together people from all walks of life -including women, youth, and ethnic minorities - to jointly analyze obstacles to peace and identify actions to address them. In a country where trust between state structures and society is limited, this initiative has helped build confidence among groups and between civil society and the government. For example, Toktokan Bapieva, a member of a local civil society organization, said, “[The analysis] was very useful because representatives from different social and professional groups came together to identify some contentious and controversial issues and came up with responses and preventive measures.” The Government of Kyrgyzstan is now committed to addressing the peace and development priorities identified through this initiative and has agreed to develop a national strategy for conflict prevention. Findings from the peace and development analysis will also feed into local development plans. CPR
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