"The Ak-Buura River is one of the most mudslide-prone rivers in the region. It flows through the entire city of Osh and then heads toward the border with neighboring Uzbekistan. In this regard, resilience to climate risks today is not only a matter of disaster response but also an important direction for the country's strategic development. Investing in early warning systems, modern monitoring technologies, and increasing the preparedness of local communities helps protect human lives, preserve infrastructure, and reduce economic losses from natural disasters," noted Daurbek Sakiev, Director of the Department of Monitoring and Forecasting under the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic. 

Against the backdrop of growing climate risks, Kyrgyzstan is strengthening its compliance with commitments under the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement, transitioning from disaster response to forecasting and prevention. 

By providing flexible, unearmarked funding, core resources allow UNDP to stay responsive to the real-time needs of national partners, support country-led priorities, and unlock larger catalytic partnerships, including innovative co-financing models with the government through GDF. 

In this process, UNDP’s core (flexible) resources play a key role, enabling the organization to maintain its presence in the country, bridge critical gaps, and take action before new project cycles are launched. 

By the time of the 2024 crisis, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, with the support of UNDP projects, had been developing an early warning and notification network. These investments brought the national monitoring system to a qualitatively new level, creating the foundation for further digital transformation. 

However, these efforts are still not enough. This is precisely where UNDP's core resources made it possible to quickly bridge one of these gaps—by installing a hydrological radar station in the village of Ozgur, a key monitoring point for the state of the Ak-Buura river flow. This decision was based on accumulated experience and close cooperation with the Ministry of Emergency Situations and was implemented without waiting for funding from new projects. 

The station operates in real-time and transmits data to the National Emergency Management Center, strengthening the country's capacity to respond to escalating climate risks. 

Early warning systems require complementary action at the local response level. 

This is particularly evident in the village of Orozbekovo in the Batken region, one of the areas most vulnerable to mudslides. 

"...this is already the seventh mudslide in the last six months... there is a lack of equipment," noted Zamirbek Zharmataev, head of the ayyl okmotu (local self-government). 

In response to the request of the local self-government, UNDP supported a co-financing model to purchase equipment for disaster relief. 50% of the cost was covered by national and local resources, while the remaining portion was supported by UNDP. 

Thus, UNDP acted as a reliable partner to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in implementing the project and carrying out procurement procedures, contributing to the development of state co-financing mechanisms in the field of development and strengthening national capacity in disaster risk management. 

Today, Kyrgyzstan continues to build an integrated early warning and public notification system. With UNDP’s support, in response to the growing mudslide hazard driven by climate change, eight early warning and notification stations—including modern hydrological radars—have been installed in the country over the past year alone. These measures make it possible to increase the effectiveness of monitoring hazardous natural processes and the timeliness of responding to potential threats. 

UNDP's flexible core resources provide the flexibility and predictability necessary for a continuous presence, rapid response, and bridging the gaps between project cycles. They also act as a catalyst for additional financing, allowing government resources and donor investments to be combined into unified solutions. 

In Kyrgyzstan, this was demonstrated through two key examples: bridging a critical gap in the early warning system in Ozgur and supporting a pilot co-financing model in Orozbekovo. 

In the face of intensifying climate risks, resilience is defined not by the speed of response, but by the ability to anticipate and prevent threats. 

In Kyrgyzstan, flexible core resources allow UNDP to stand alongside the government at all stages—from risk analysis to response and recovery—linking early warning and notification systems, local capacity, and national planning into a single architecture of resilience against climate challenges.