Kyrgyzstan proposes vulnerability index for mountainous and border villages

AKIPRESS.COM – The Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan has submitted for public discussion a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on approving the State Program for the Development Support of High-Mountain, Remote, and Border Areas of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2030.

The program is being developed to implement measures under the State Program for the Comprehensive Socio-Economic Development of Regions of Kyrgyzstan for 2025–2030 and the National Development Program until 2026.

The draft was prepared by an interagency working group established by the ministry in April 2025. The group included representatives of government agencies, as well as scientific and expert organizations. The document was discussed with state bodies, civil society representatives, and foreign experts.

According to the authors, high-mountain, remote, and border areas are strategically important for Kyrgyzstan’s national security and economy. However, these regions face serious challenges, including difficult climate conditions, poor transport and digital connectivity, infrastructure shortages, population outmigration, and low investment activity.

A key element of the proposed program is a targeted state support model based on a vulnerability index. The index would classify villages according to their level of vulnerability, allowing government assistance to be tailored to the specific needs of each category of settlement.

The draft resolution proposes approving:

• the state development support program;

• an implementation action plan;

• a methodology for calculating the village vulnerability index;

• a monitoring and evaluation indicator system; and

• an estimate of the resources required for implementation.

Based on these documents, the government plans to develop a three-year implementation plan and identify projects to be financed from the republican budget.