Justice in Central Asia: from Rags to the Rule of Law
Recruiting for: court judges.
Remuneration: $300 to $600/month.
Duties:
Kyrgyzstan
English
In Kyrgyzstan, IDLO strives to strengthen the rule of law and build a resilient justice system that promotes social stability and drives economic growth.
A key component of this work is developing e-justice systems that deter corruption and improve judicial accountability. IDLO also supports Kyrgyzstan in fostering a more efficient system for alternative dispute resolution, especially commercial mediation, thereby reducing the heavy case burden on courts, improving the enforcement of legal decisions, and providing businesses with a practical way to resolve disputes.
IDLO’s current portfolio includes assisting the Government of Kyrgyzstan to explore the most practical and effective ways to adopt the Singapore Convention on Mediation and to reform laws to introduce mandatory mediation and enforce their agreements. Additionally, we aid the Supreme Court in setting up mediation referral systems and enhancing the capacity of mediation centres and the Republican Community of Mediators, who work to improve the legislation, preparation and quality of mediation in the country.
Reforming Kyrgyzstan’s Judiciary
IDLO has been working with the government of Kyrgyzstan to establish a functional, credible and transparent legal system since the adoption of the 2010 Constitution.
Despite many positive developments over the last four years, the rule of law sector continues to face problems; inadequate financing risks undermining judicial independence and makes access to justice a challenge.
Conflict of Interest in Kyrgyzstan
Amid pressure to clean up public life in Kyrgyzstan, IDLO has helped draft a bill on conflict of interest. The challenge was both practical and political: Kyrgyzstan is a relatively small country with strong rural traditions, large, close-knit families, and a well-established culture of favors. The new law would ban any payment from interested parties, either in money or in kind, as well as gifts. This includes property, foreign travel or invitations to banquets, shows and sporting events.
IDLO in Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan Moves to Outlaw Conflict of Interest
Efforts to curb corruption appear to be gaining crucial momentum in Kyrgyzstan, as a bill on conflict of interest gathers cross-sector support. The bill, drafted with technical help from the USAID-IDLO Kyrgyzstan Judicial Strengthening Program, is being formally championed by Erkin Alymbekov, chairman of the Human Rights committee of the Kyrgyz parliament.
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Key Initiatives
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Until recently, court processes in the Kyrgyz Republic have not been automated. Manual or paper systems still are required and are the norm although automating all processes has started very actively. According the country’s National Target Program for Development of the Judiciary, automated information systems need to be expanded and rolled out to the whole judicial system, not only within all first instance courts, but also second and third instance courts. -
The Kyrgyz Republic has made significant strides in working toward improvements to a justice system shaken to the core following the 2010 Revolution. While a wholesale reselection process of judges changed the landscape and provided hope for real change, it also created a judiciary staffed with many inexperienced, under-skilled first-time judges who are more easily exposed to negative influences - both perceived and real. Consequently, the public mistrusts the judiciary and holds a negative perception of it being corrupt, inefficient and dependent on other branches of government.
