Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 24-25 March 2026 – The UNODC-KOSTAT Centre of Excellence (CoE) has been supporting Kyrgyzstan in implementing a nationwide crime victimization survey in collaboration with the UNODC Information Centre, as a part of the JUST4ALL project that supports justice sector reform in the Kyrgyz Republic. To present preliminary findings of the 2025 Kyrgyzstan Victimization and Perception on Safety Survey (VPSS) and gather comments and feedback from national stakeholders, the CoE participated in a roundtable discussion and a closing event for JUST4ALL.
This engagement builds on three years in the initiative strengthening justice information systems in the Kyrgyz Republic. Starting by delivering a three-day workshop on crime statistics in 2023, the CoE directly engaged with a survey implementing partner, providing substantive support from survey design and questionnaire development. In 2024, the CoE and the Information Centre joined a series of bilateral meetings with key national agencies arranged by the UNODC Kyrgyzstan to identify information needs and challenges and conducted a practical workshop bringing together all stakeholders to ensure the policy relevance of the surveys, national ownership and the use of survey results for evidence-based policymaking.
The roundtable discussion was convened with the General Prosecutor Office (GPO), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the National Statistical Commission (NSC). Prior to the meeting, the initial draft had been shared and was already very well received. The GPO highlighted the study will be used for crime prevention policymaking and they intend to replicate it to track trends over time. The CoE and the Information Centre further examined detailed survey design, including sampling techniques, questionnaire structures, and the fieldwork process, and presented statistical indicators that describe prevalence and incidence rates by crime type, people’s perceptions of safety and crime, and other related indicators. Experts also discussed the finalization of the report, preparation of an accompanying technical report, and data tables.
The closing event for the JUST4ALL brought together over 100 representatives from international and domestic partners, from government agencies, embassies, academia, and civil society organizations. Outstanding achievements of the project were presented, including a 24 percent decline in custodial sentences and a 29 percent decrease in the prison population through modernized probation systems in place. As a key outcome, the main findings of the VPSS were also presented to a broader audience, with positive response.
The JUST4ALL project, implemented by UNODC and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and co-funded by the European Union (EU), is entering a new phase, continuing its commitment to improving access to justice and the rule of law in the Kyrgyz Republic toward a people-centered criminal justice system. The CoE will continue to be part of this cross-regional collaboration by providing technical expertise in crime and criminal justice statistics.
Previous CoE’s activities engaged for the VPSS implementation:
Workshop on crime statistics in Kyrgyzstan, 2023
CoE advances ongoing support for Kyrgyzstan’s national Crime Victimization Survey, 2024
https://coekostat.unodc.org/coekostat/en/news/2024-cvs-workshop-kyrgyzstan.html
