In Bishkek, the Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), Batyr Mammedov, and the Head of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, Oleg Gutchgeldiev, discussed the coordination of efforts within the framework of two regional projects funded by the World Bank, RESILAND CA+ and One Health, aimed at intersectoral cooperation in the field of environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, public health and sustainable agriculture.
Director of the CAREC branch in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kuban Matraimov, reported on the progress of the FAO/GEF project “Implementation of the national biosafety mechanism in the Kyrgyz Republic in accordance with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.”
"Kyrgyzstan signed this protocol in 2005, but since then, no systematic work has been done in the field of GMO management. Thanks to project support, the active phase of implementation has begun: draft regulatory legal acts have been developed and agreed upon with state authorities, creating the basis for the formation of a system of interaction between institutions in the field of GMO control. In partnership with Kyrgyzstandart, standards are being developed for products containing GMOs. Particular attention is being paid to strengthening laboratory capacity: support is being provided to four to five key laboratories, which will in future carry out analyses of the GMO content of imported products," said Kuban Matraimov.
Oleg Guchgeldiev emphasized the importance of joining forces to increase resilience to risks, strengthen health systems, and protect biodiversity in the Central Asian region.