Kyrgyzstan has taken a significant step toward integrating human rights principles into its economic policies. At a high-level meeting on March 28 hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, government officials, business leaders, civil society representatives, and international partners came together to review progress on the Business and Human Rights Project, supported by the Government of Japan and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported.
The adoption of the Programme on Business and Human Rights marks a milestone for Kyrgyzstan, reinforcing its commitment to international human rights obligations and promoting sustainable business practices. This initiative aims to enhance the country’s investment climate by fostering transparency, accountability, and responsible entrepreneurship.
“The implementation of the UN Guiding Principles in the practical activities of companies, as the experience of other countries shows, can bring huge benefits to the state and business, such as improving the investment attractiveness of the country, forming partnerships between the state, business and civil society, increasing competitiveness, attractiveness of enterprises, reducing the shadow economy, creating quality jobs, solving the problems of internal and external migration, economic empowerment of the vulnerable,” said Gulshat Asylbaeva, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce.
The newly adopted Action Plan on Business and Human Rights—the first of its kind in Central Asia—sets a framework for businesses to align with international human rights standards and corporate due diligence principles.
As part of the project, a comprehensive National Baseline Assessment was conducted to evaluate the country’s legal and policy frameworks related to business and human rights. This assessment provided valuable insights into existing gaps and opportunities for reform.
To raise public awareness, a nationwide outreach campaign engaged more than 40,000 people through media and digital platforms, fostering a broader understanding of responsible business conduct. To further support local businesses and institutions, key documents on business and human rights were translated into Kyrgyz and Russian, ensuring accessibility and wider dissemination of essential resources.
“The adoption of the Action Plan is a significant step toward building a transparent, sustainable, and socially responsible business sector in Kyrgyzstan. This opens new opportunities for economic growth, international cooperation and improvement of the investment climate. UNDP will continue to support Kyrgyzstan in creating a business environment where respect for human rights becomes an integral part of economic development,” said Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative in Kyrgyzstan.
The government of Japan has supported this project to strengthen responsible business practices in Kyrgyzstan. “Although there are not so many Japanese companies in this country, it is also important for us to maintain transparent and responsible activities of Japanese businesses, suppliers and partner companies and attract more Japanese businesses in the future. I believe that the high respect to human rights is indispensable factor for further development of economy. I hope that the project will improve the business environment in Kyrgyzstan, attract more businessmen and investors, including Japanese people, and contribute to the country’s economic development,” said Japanese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hideki Goda.
