Political Finance Workshop in Kyrgyzstan

UNDP Kyrgyzstan in cooperation with the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyz Republic, and with the financial support of Government of Switzerland, conducted a BRIDGE modular workshop on Political Finance V3.

The workshop aimed to give participants knowledge on the definition and international standards on political finance, the role and functions of the law enforcement bodies, and gender oriented public funding and the role of CSOs in political finance. Participants were trained on ways how to regulate political finance; they looked at the Election Cycle and specific activities within it; they learnt how to regulate donations and fees, expenditures, public funding and disclosure. Participants looked at the international experience of the law enforcement and bodies in the political finance; learnt about the types of abuses of the administrative resource and sanctions. Major emphasis was made on the gender oriented public funding as an incentive to increase the number of women in politics and the role of NGOs in the monitoring and providing better analysis and data on the political finance. The practical part included interactive exercises to get better understanding of how the political finances are regulated in the world.

The workshop was conducted on April 26-29, 2021 at “Europa” Hotel, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The workshop was facilitated by international facilitators Iuliia Shypilova and Tetyana Bibik. Twenty-eight participants from the CEC of Kyrgyz Republic, political parties, local NGOs, educational institutions and banks attended the workshop.

Participants marked a successful format of the workshop that included various types of activities that allowed them to better learn materials. They also mentioned that the 800-page manual prepared by facilitators, will serve them as a handbook on political finance for self-education. Sessions on public funding, the role of law enforcement bodies and NGOs helped participants better model the future regulations on political finances in Kyrgyzstan. CEC Kyrgyzstan emphasized on the importance of such workshop and expressed their opinion that more participants among EMB will require such training.

The workshop has met its objectives. Final evaluation was arranged by targeting the stakeholders’ learning outcomes and future usage of the knowledge. Participants marked the value of mixed groups of participants that helped them better learn goals of each other and exchange experience. Many participants noted the value of the international experience given within four days. Also, participants marked interactive approach of the workshop and lots of practical exercises.

At the end, all the participants have received certificates in recognition of completion of 4-day workshop on political finance.