On March 5, a meeting of the Supervisory Committee of the FAO/GEF project “Implementation of the National Biosafety Mechanism in the Kyrgyz Republic in accordance with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety” was held in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Almaz Musaev, expert of the sectoral policy department of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Zalkar Orozbekov, members of the project's supervisory committee, representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and head of the bioresources department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Kumar Mambetaliev. The implementing organizations presented their final reports: experts from branch of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) in Kyrgyzstan, UNOPS, the Institute of Biotechnology, and Kyrgyzstandart.
During the meeting, participants considered a number of key issues:
1. Financial report for 2025 and budget for 2026 of the CAREC Branch in Kyrgyzstan;
2. Financial report for 2025 and budget for 2026 of Kyrgyzstandart;
3. Financial report for 2025 and budget for 2026 of UNOPS;
4. Financial report for 2025 and budget for 2026 of the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
5. The draft Fifth National Report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was also considered.
Kumar Mambetaliev, Head of the Bioresources Department at Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, noted the importance of transparent and targeted use of project funds. According to him, financial resources should be used strictly for their intended purpose, and reports should be provided on each financial expenditure of the implementing organizations.
The organizations implementing the project noted that a number of important measures were carried out in 2025 and that good results are also expected to be achieved in 2026. It should be noted that Kyrgyzstan adopted a new law, “On Biological Safety in the Kyrgyz Republic,” and, in accordance with this law, began developing subordinate legislation to ensure biological safety. The regulatory documents being developed as part of the project “Implementation of the National Biosafety Mechanism in the Kyrgyz Republic in accordance with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety” are also part of the subordinate legislation, which is expected to be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2026..
Kuban Matraimov, Director of CAREC in Kyrgyzstan, noted that in 2026, an important document to be finalized is the Regulation on the Interaction of State Bodies on Management of Modern Biotechnology Products in Kyrgyzstan (Interaction Mechanism).
Namazbek Abdykerimov, an expert in the detection and identification of GMOs, reported that equipment and consumables were purchased as part of the project to strengthen the capacity of six national laboratories through UNOPS. and a series of training sessions were held for laboratory specialists on the identification of genetically modified organisms and customs service specialists on the assessment of documentation for imported products containing GMOs.
Following the meeting, the Supervisory Committee approved the financial reports of partner organizations, approved the project budget for 2026, and approved the Fifth National Report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This document will now be sent to the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
It should be noted that the project has been implemented in the Kyrgyz Republic since 2024. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the national biosafety system, develop mechanisms for assessing, monitoring, and managing risks associated with the use of biotechnology, and support the formation of state policy in the field of biosafety.
Partners of the project:
Additional information:
Kuban Matraimov — Director, CAREC Branch in the Kyrgyz Republic, kyrgyzstan@carececo.org