"There was no regulatory framework for conducting the assessment," says Burulsun Suyunalieva, who was at the forefront of its creation.

She entered the social sphere in 2007 as the director of the Department of Social Protection and Humanitarian Aid, and later headed the new Department for the Development of Social Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly at the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic. It is these departments that coordinate the work of the Republican Center for Medico-Social Expertise. Today, Burulsun Suyunalieva is an expert on social issues, head of the Association of Social Work Schools, and the "Social Services Development Fund" PF.

"I was at the forefront of developing draft regulatory legal acts for the assessment of citizens in places of deprivation of liberty," she says of that period.

The starting point was the country's international commitment.

"Kyrgyzstan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2019, and as part of implementing the Convention's norms, relevant regulatory legal acts have been developed and adopted."

For her, it is a matter of principle, not procedure.

"According to international human rights standards, granting disability status to persons in places of deprivation of liberty is necessary."

Behind the status lie concrete opportunities—"the rights to rehabilitation, social protection, adaptation, and integration into society."

The picture is precise and without simplifications. While a person is in a place of deprivation of liberty, social benefits are not paid, but they do receive rehabilitation services. If there is a work history, a disability pension is assigned: the insurance part is paid, but the basic part is not, as the person is fully supported by the state. After release, they undergo a re-examination, and social payments are assigned based on the certificate from the medico-social expertise.

To make all this work, it was necessary to build interaction between three systems.

"The work of the medico-social expertise, the penitentiary system, and medical institutions is carried out based on a special instruction, approved by joint orders, which clearly outlines the functions and responsibilities of each department."

The system itself is also changing: specialists now have access to penal institutions, partnership between departments is developing, the qualifications of employees of the State Service for the Execution of Punishments and the medical service are improving, and rehabilitation services are expanding. After the adoption of the Regulation, a series of trainings and seminars were held for expert doctors and employees of the medico-social expertise system.

According to Burulsun Suyunalieva, international partners made a significant contribution to the development and implementation of the Regulation.

"UNDP's support was very significant in the development, promotion, and implementation of the Assessment Regulation. Also, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs made a great contribution in sharing experience, capacity building of the MSEC, and involving international experts."

By ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and implementing the state program "Accessible Country," the Kyrgyz Republic is consistently building a more just and inclusive rights protection system—in line with national priorities enshrined in the National Development Program of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2030. UNDP assists the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republican Center for Medico-Social Expertise in fulfilling these obligations.

The work does not end with the adoption of a document. Among the next steps, she names the continuous professional development of expert doctors and "conducting training on an ongoing basis by creating a Center for Advanced Training of the Ministry's employees," as well as exchanging experience with foreign colleagues.

For herself, she sums it up simply:

"...the results of partner collaboration have been achieved, and I am ready to continue working in this direction."

And she advises her colleagues: "to strictly comply with the norms of the legislation, constantly engage in professional development, and attract young specialists to the medico-social expertise system."

The main thing, she says, is "the observance of human rights regardless of location."

This story was prepared as part of the UNDP and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland project "Strengthening Human Rights and Equal Access to Justice in the Kyrgyz Republic."