Challenges of CSO-Government Cooperation in Providing Environmental Security in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Kyrgyzstan, like other Central Asian countries, is facing various environmental challenges that are relevant and take priority for all today. The lack of effective public administration, good governance and close interaction with civil society may create barriers to the implementation of action plans and green strategies to address environmental challenges in Kyrgyzstan. In this context, are there any tensions between the government and civil society environmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan? If yes, what are the factors that may make cooperation ineffective? This paper describes the problem of government and civil society organizations’ cooperation, and key factors affecting their working process and outcomes. Staff turnover, leading to a lack of institutional memory, corruption in the public sector, insufficient communication between civil society and government decision-makers, and the policies of top government officials - all these factors are interrelated and form a blockage in the cooperation process. This work examines these factors and highlights key recommendations for solving the studied research problem.