Bishkek, June 2, 2021 - Yesterday, at the opening ceremony of the Youth Center established at the House of Culture in Kara-Balta, young people discussed their success in promoting healthy lifestyles.

10 youth centers were opened throughout the country with financial support from the Government of Japan and UNDP, in close partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth Policy and relevant local authorities. The goal is to widely involve young people in the socio-economic and public life of local communities.

"The creation of youth centers corresponds to the priorities of youth policy of the Kyrgyz Republic. We hope that these youth centers will contribute to more involvement of young people and contribute to sustainable development at the local level." said Deputy Director of the State Agency on Youth, Physical Culture and Sports under the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic Nadyrbekov Sayuzbek in his congratulatory speech.

At the moment, in line with social distancing measures, youth center at Kara-Balta House of Culture is not working at full capacity. However, young people are active in the promoting healthy lifestyles through cycling, groups on street sports training "street workout" and participating in competitions and activities of national youth organizations, including the activities from the State Agency on Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports of the Kyrgyz Republic. In addition, the youth center will act as a platform to unite the efforts of young people at the district level.  

Minori Shimizu, representative of the Embassy of Japan in the Kyrgyz Republic, congratulated the young people of the city, emphasizing that the Government of Japan has supported the creation of youth centers through the UNDP. Japan  expects that the younger generation in Kyrgyzstan will become economically independent, actively participate in local social activities and revive their communities, which will lead to the development of the whole country. "As President Japarov has pointed out, more than one million Kyrgyz people are currently forced to work outside the country. This situation can only be solved by creating jobs in the country. Young people are responsible for the future of the country and creating a society in which youth generation can play an active role is a requirement for nation-building." she said. 

Approximately $20,000 has been allocated to technically equip and renovate this center, and a total of $305,000 has been invested to create youth centers in 10 targeted communities throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Erkinbek Kasybekov, Senior Advisor of the UNDP Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic said: "In total, within the 10 pilot villages and towns, more than 4,000 young people received training on entrepreneurship, youth policy, local development, partnership with local and state authorities, conflict prevention. Ten youth action groups were created to lead local youth development processes, working closely with relevant local authorities."

The establishment of the youth centers was initiated as part of a UNDP regional project, "Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation to Prevent Violent Extremism in Central Asia," funded by the Government of Japan.

Link to photos from the event: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVRyTSo

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Media contacts:

Nurzhan Alymkanova, Communications Specialist nurzhan.alymkanova@undp.org