Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

AKIPRESS.COM - The Aga Khan Development Network and the Naryn authorities formally launched an innovative five year initiative to strengthen the resilience of Naryn town to external environmental and economic shocks, AKDN said.

The Naryn Urban Resilience Programme, with a total budget of US$ 6.5 million, financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Aga Khan Foundation, aims to enhance the capacity of the Naryn Municipality to use advanced town planning techniques to inform infrastructure investments and community engagement efforts.

The inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee for NURP, co-chaired by the Governor of Naryn Oblast and the AKDN Diplomatic Representative, was convened on May 27. It concluded with Davlatsulton Dorgabekova, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation Kyrgyzstan signing partnership agreements with Sabyrkul Ashimbaev, Governor of Naryn Oblast and Kanbolot Tutuev, Naryn Mayor in the presence of Nicole Merkt, Program Manager, SECO.

Governor Sabyrkul Ashimbaev, noted that the Naryn authorities are delighted to “deepen the partnership with the AKDN to advance social and economic development in Naryn. We also highly appreciate the support from SECO. We confirm that all necessary measures will be undertaken to implement this programme to the highest standards and in a timely manner.”

The AKDN Diplomatic Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, Dr Barkat Fazal underlined that this was “another major step in supporting government-led efforts to transform Naryn into an economic, touristic, educational, and cultural hub. Particularly encouraging is the commitment of Switzerland, the Naryn authorities, and the AKDN to ensure that the lessons learned from this effort are shared with broader development partners at the national level.”