On December 10, the Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic held a public hearing to formally present the draft Medium and Long-Term Development Strategy for the Mineral Resources Sector, developed with support from the USAID REFORMA Project.  

A consortium of local firms – competitively selected by REFORMA – advised the ministry on development of this strategy.  Led by the Kyrgyz Mining Association, the consortium worked with the Mineral Resources Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy to analyze practices of countries with top-performing mining sectors.  The consortium’s experts worked withthe government, parliament, civil society, and mining companies to vet policy choices, confirm assumptions, and determine the appropriateness of policy approaches based on the current economic and political realities of the country.  A summary of the comprehensive set of recommendations was presented at today’s hearing.

The strategy sets forth a policy vision reflecting international practice across legal, regulatory, fiscal, environmental, educational and social spheres to guide development of the mineral resources sector. 

USAID Kyrgyz RepublicMission Director Michael Green told the hearing participants that:  “USAID is pleased to have supported the Ministry of Economy to develop this strategy.  The strategy team engaged a wide range of stakeholders in the discussion of policy choices affecting sector development and growth. Adopting policies that improve the business environment will significantly expand economic growth by stimulating domestic and foreign investment in the sector.”