LiK Conference 2016
Annual ‘Life in Kyrgyzstan’ Conference
6-7 October 2016
Institute of Public Policy and Administration of the University of Central Asia (UCA), Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Security and Development Center (ISDC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized the second annual ‘Life in Kyrgyzstan’ Conference that took place in Bishkek on 6-7 October 2016.
The two-day conference brought together national and international experts from government and the public sector, development agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia and research institutions, and media to exchange knowledge and experiences on recent socio-economic developments in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, and to promote evidence-based policy making.
The conference has also informed on the process of the “Life in Kyrgyzstan” Study carried out in 2016 by an international consortium of research institutions with funding from IFPRI, IGZ, FAO and UCA. Conference costs were sponsored by UCA.
Research topics presented at the Conference covered the following topics:
- Poverty and inequality;
- Employment and labor markets;
- Migration and remittances;
- Gender, children and intra-household decision making;
- Education and health outcomes;
- Nutrition and food security;
- Public service delivery and decentralization;
- Rural livelihoods and agricultural market access;
- Home gardens and rural coping strategies;
- Value chains and export orientation;
- Entrepreneurship and informality;
- Impacts of trade reform;
- Social capital and social cohesion;
- Peace-building, trust and expectations;
- Micro-level data quality, survey methodology and panel data collection; and
- Methods of rigorous impact evaluation.
Academic committee: Professor Kathryn Anderson (Vanderbilt University), Professor Tilman Brück (IGZ/ISDC), Dr Damir Esenaliev (SIPRI), Dr Kamiljon Akramov (IFPRI), Dr Roman Mogilevskii (UCA), and Dr Kanat Tilekeyev (UCA).
The programme of the Conference can be found here.
Organising Institutions
University of Central Asia’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration was established in 2011 to strengthen public policy in Central Asia. It provides in-depth analysis on current and emerging policy issues facing the region, and improves the analytical capacity of governments and civil society to use evidence in decision-making processes through professional development. The Institute has produced a series of peer-reviewed research papers on social and economic issues, public administration and public policy relating to Central Asia and Afghanistan. For more information on IPPA, please visit: http://www.ucentralasia.org/ippa
IGZ – Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops carries out basic and applied research supporting the sustainable production of vegetable and ornamental plants and the rational use of natural resources. It contributes to the success of horticulture in Germany and other countries, understanding fundamentals of horticultural and plant science, sustainability in production and use of plants, healthy nutrition and well being of the population. Its work is rated by acceptance and appreciation by professionals in practical horticulture and by the society, publications in high-ranking scientific journals and acquisition of competitive grants. For more information on IGZ, please visit: http://www.igzev.de/.
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an international agricultural research center founded in the early 1970s to improve the understanding of national agricultural and food policies to promote the adoption of innovations in agricultural technology. Additionally, IFPRI aims to shed more light on the role of agricultural and rural development in the broader development pathway of a country. The mission of IFPRI is to seek sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty through research. For more information on IFPRI, please visit: https://www.ifpri.org/.
ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a Berlin-based, non-for-profit research center conducting research, providing policy advice and building capacity on international security and socio-economic development. We are unique in the global research scene for being dedicated to work exclusively on the security-development nexus. For more information on ISDC, please visit: http://www.isd-center.org/.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an agency of the United Nations founded in 1943 with headquarters in Rome, Italy. Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations. For more information on FAO, please visit: http://www.fao.org/home/en/.