Caravanserai

EU transfers €6.5 million to Kyrgyzstan to support social reforms

Caravanserai

BISHKEK -- The European Union (EU) Tuesday (December 18) began the transfer of €6.5 million (517 million KGS) to Kyrgyzstan to support the nation's social assistance programmes, according to a statement from the EU Delegation to Kyrgyzstan.

The funds, transferred to the Ministry of Finance, will arrive in the coming days, said the statement.

The payment is the second of three tranches for a €26 million (2 billion KGS) grant. The first transfer of €4.25 million (338 million KGS) was made in early 2016, and the final payment is expected at the end of 2019.

"The main objective of this European Union's support is to expand the range and quality of social services, particularly for children at risk, implement government policy on child protection as defined in the Children's Code adopted in May 2012 and help sustain key reforms and achievements made in social assistance mechanisms through earlier programmes as well as ensure their continuity," said the statement.

The funds will also help the Kyrgyz government "improve the effectiveness of public expenditure in the social sector and ensure better budgetary allocations, performance assessments and enhanced monitoring through enhanced internal audit, in line with government's medium term reform priorities", it said.

The EU will also provide policy advice, technical assistance and training for the staff of the Labour, Social Development and Finance ministries.

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