Government-Community Leaders Dialogues to Reduce Tension in Central Asia: Phase III

Home / Government-Community Leaders Dialogues to Reduce Tension in Central Asia: Phase III
January 13, 2025

The project Government-Community Leaders Dialogues to Reduce Tension in Central Asia: Phase III, supported by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), was a 25-month project, implemented between May 2022 and June 2024, which aimed to strengthen collaboration at the interstate and intrastate levels to enable effective and innovative responses to security challenges in Central Asia.

Context

Central Asia is currently at a confluence of multiple regional crises as disunity prevails and tensions mount within and between countries in the region. The crisis in Afghanistan and the subsequent security challenges this entails for Central Asian states has been further compounded by recent events, such as the border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Fergana Valley and civil unrest and political upheaval in Kazakhstan. In order to confront the multitude of factors leading to conflict in Central Asia today, Search is expanding its model of Regional Consultative Working Group (RCWG) to meet new challenges in the region, strengthen engagement and Track 1.5 diplomacy around US-Central Asia relations, and cultivate a group of young emerging experts to contribute to and influence the policymaking process. 

Following the outbreak of violence in the border areas between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in September 2022, five months after the project began, which took the lives of nearly 100 people and led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of others, Search initiated a Track II dialogue platforms gathering experts from both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to discuss and envision potential pathways to peace. 

Theory of Change 

IF regional exchange on prominent security issues in Central Asia captures a diverse set of views, perspectives and lessons learned from a variety stakeholders, including from state institutions and civil society, and IF emergent experts are supported through a process of mentorship and experiential learning opportunities; THEN regional policymaking on shared security challenges will be more sustainable and effective BECAUSE it is based on local ownership, collaboration, and supports the next generation of leaders to be at the forefront of the process.”

Core Objectives and Activities  

Throughout the implementation, Search cultivated a pool of “multi-generational” leaders and analysts from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to effectively contribute to conflict analysis and policy-making and build a dynamic network (policy analysts, NGOs, media, and government advisors) who enhance policy development and cooperation in the region, based on a common understanding of shared security challenges. By using key stakeholders in four of the Central Asian republics (government actors, civil society, security actors, religious leaders, and others), Search selected a pool of “emergent experts” to benefit from capacity-building opportunities and intergenerational exchange sessions during simulation exercises. These emergent experts have been integrated into the longstanding Regional Consultative Working Group, formed in 2018 during the first phase of this project. Seasoned and emerging experts have been invited to collaborate throughout the project to draft event policy papers and organize a series of policymaker briefings.

Impact

  • Over the course of this project, Search convened four regional consultative working groups, convening over 50 experts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan to discuss critical issues that are sources of threats and opportunities for the region. External and internal sources of insecurity were explored, and animated debates explored the potential for Central Asian states to reinforce their collaboration, exploring different models of regional integration. 
  • These discussions informed the development of 14 various policy papers with key recommendations to inform decision-makers. These policy recommendations have been further promoted by experts and Search through a series of 10 briefing sessions with authorities inside and outside the region. Several priorities highlighted through these channels have been taken up on high-level platforms, including the Consultative Meeting of the Presidents of Central Asian states. 
  • This third phase of the project contributed to diversifying the pool of experts in the region by providing capacity-building and networking opportunities to ten young experts from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. These experts benefited from mentoring from seasoned experts, who supported them in strengthening their research and problem-solving skills, providing them with practical advice to write policy briefs and research papers. “Offline training by my mentor was very good and mainly focused on the skills of writing an analytical article and revealing the nuances of current issues in the article […] it helped to direct me in the right direction for writing an article. Thanks to this training, I managed to improve my analytical and structuring skills. During the training, it was possible to get satisfactory answers to all questions.”, reflected a young expert from Tajikistan. 
  • These trained young experts have been effectively integrated into the RCWG meetings, creating a multi-generational body of experts that enriched the RCWG discussions and challenged previously understood assumptions. Search ensured young experts did not have a seat at the table but had a meaningful voice in the RCWG discussion. As they strengthened their capacities, young experts have been given a growing role within the RCWG, from being active participants in the first RCWG, to becoming speakers in key panel discussions and even facilitators during the subsequent RCWG meetings. A young expert from Kyrgyzstan who has endorsed these various roles in the RCWG reflected on his journey: “The project has greatly enriched my professional activities by providing valuable experience and broadening my horizons. I have clearly felt progress since the first meeting of the RCWG. My confident approach to problem-solving has become more systematic, and team communication has become more effective. Mentorship has become an indispensable part of the project. Through it, I have learned new skills and strategies that have had a strong impact on my productivity and ability to lead the team to a successful outcome.” 
  • Following the 2022 outbreak of violence in the border areas between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Search initiated a Track II dialogue platform with experts from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. These experts agreed to convene regularly to share their analysis of the situation and progressively envision together pathways to lasting peace.

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