21 October 2021, Bishkek - 7 Kyrgyz journalists won a media production contest and received valuable prizes. A competition for journalists took place in Kyrgyzstan with the participation of print media, TV, radio and news agencies. The competition had two themes: access to financing of sustainable development and attracting investments. Materials in Kyrgyz and Russian languages published and submitted to the competition were accepted. 

The main goal of the event was to promote awareness of citizens on issues in the area of access to finance for sustainable development of MFIs, as well as to encourage the creative work of journalists and improve the quality of information materials. The competition was organised by the Ministry of Economy, as part of the UNDP project "Capacity Building for Sustainable Development Financing in the CIS Region", with the support of the Russian Federation.

"I would like to note the significant positive role of the media in covering important economic topics of concern to our population, including the development of the economy and the protection and promotion of investment. It is very important for us that journalists writing on economic topics have a deep understanding of such complex topics and are able to convey to their viewers, listeners and readers in simple and accessible language the whole range of economic life in the country in a concise, informative and interesting way ” Nuradil Bayasov, a.i. Minister of Investment of the Kyrgyz Republic. 

The competition jury consisted of the representatives of Ministry of Economy, UNDP and invited members from the field of media/business/economics and finance. 

"The high jury did a lot of work to assess the materials and as a result the best media representatives were identified, who pay attention not only during the competition but on a permanent systematic basis. The UNDP project provided organisational and financial support for the competition. We believe that raising the level of public awareness in the financial sphere and thus improving the financial literacy of the population is a priority task for not only the government, but also for society as a whole.” said Erkinbek Kasybekov, Assistant Resident Representative UNDP. 

The Competition Commission assessed the submitted works and selected 12 winners. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were defined for each theme in two areas. The prizes were a tablet, a book reader and a smartphone, respectively.

"I didn't think that I would win a place and a smartphone. I am very grateful to the organisers who gave us the opportunity not only to compete with each other but also to win some much needed prizes” said a journalist, Mehrinisa Sulaimanova.

List of all winners: 

Taalay Oroskulov,

Ermek Aktanov,

Anton Kubickii, 

Saltanat Kudaiberdieva, 

Meerim Asanalieva,

Mehrinisa Sulaimanova,

Bakyt Tolkanov.

The initiative is part of the UNDP project "Strengthening capacities for financing sustainable development in the CIS region.”