The APF, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), met with the Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, to discuss the institution’s human rights work.

During the online meeting, held on 27 February, Ombudsman Atyr Abdrahmatova advised of her intention to apply for the institution's reaccreditation with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions’ (GANHRIs’) Sub-Committee on Accreditation. The Ombudsman’s Office is currently accredited as a B-status NHRI.

She also provided updates on a potential law reform to the institution’s establishing legislation and on increases to its budgetary and staffing capacity, and shared recent efforts to diversify staffing by employing people with disabilities and from diverse ethnicities, as well as measures to enhance the Office’s engagement with civil society in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Ombudsman’s Office, which has been a member of the APF since 2018, has identified three priority areas in its current strategic plan:

1. Monitoring and inspection of detention centres
2. Provision of human rights analysis of draft legislation
3. Increasing human rights awareness

The APF provided a summary of the APF Capacity Assessment process during the meeting and will continue to engage with the Ombudsman and UN partners on a potential capacity assessment within the next 12 months.

Date: 3 March 2023