Switzerland supports Kyrgyzstan in building the resilience of vulnerable communities to the risk of natural disasters. The Embassy of Switzerland in Bishkek reported.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic and the UN World Food Programme have established two automated gabion net production workshops in Chui and Osh regions and improved the capacity of the digital disaster monitoring and early warning systems of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Thanks to the support from the Swiss Government, two modern production lines and four trucks were handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. This contribution will significantly enhance the ability of the ministry to protect the livelihoods of vulnerable population and ultimately reduce the impact of climate change on food and nutrition security. With the help of this project, the ministry moved from manual to automated production of gabion nets, which allowed two workshops to produce the required number of structures, increasing the volume four times.
The trucks will deliver these products to remote regions across the country in a timely manner. The information technology infrastructure for disaster monitoring and early warning systems have also been improved.
«The Swiss government will continue to provide support to vulnerable communities prone to natural disasters. We are proud to provide the Ministry of Emergency Situations with resources to prevent and mitigate the effects of climate change and build a systematic approach to managing natural disasters such as droughts, landslides and floods,» the Swiss Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Olivier Bangerter said.
With the introduction of the automated system and quality assurance processes, workshops operating on the basis of public-private partnerships will allow the country to produce the required amount of gabion nets. Previously, most of them were imported from abroad. The nets produced will be used to strengthen slopes, protect the riverbed and banks, and other disaster prevention measures.
In January 2023, the Swiss government allocated more than $9.2 million to WFP’s component of building the resilience of the most vulnerable rural communities to climate change and natural disaster risks. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Activities will take place in Osh, Batken, Jalal-Abad and Naryn regions and will target the 250,000 most vulnerable households, as well as targeted local authorities and institutions at the national level.
