Kyrgyzstan Plans New Civil Protection Services to Enhance Emergency Response

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) is seeking to modernize the nation's civil protection system by introducing new specialized services and enhancing emergency response capabilities. The ministry has put forward a draft resolution for public discussion aimed at updating the country's approach to natural disasters and other emergencies.

This initiative comes in response to a concerning trend of emergencies in recent years. Statistics from the MES reveal that over the last five years, Kyrgyzstan has experienced 283 emergency situations. These events have tragically led to 1,764 fatalities and caused material damage exceeding 8.2 billion Kyrgyzstani som. The ministry attributes these severe consequences, in part, to inadequate preparation and underfunding of preventive measures.

The proposed changes involve establishing a comprehensive list of new civil protection services. These would include specialized units for alerting and communication, medical assistance, transportation, public order maintenance, engineering, utilities, social protection, and protection against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Notably, the plan also incorporates services for animal and plant protection, as well as the safeguarding of cultural assets.

A significant innovation within the proposal is the creation of a logistics and resource management service, to be based within the Ministry of Finance. This new entity would be responsible for planning and coordinating financial and material resources essential for both preventing and responding to emergencies. The MES highlighted that the current national budget lacks a specific allocation for such activities, thereby limiting the government's capacity to prepare for and manage crises effectively.

Furthermore, a dedicated service for the protection of cultural heritage is planned under the Ministry of Culture. This service would focus on evacuating valuable museum exhibits, archives, and other cultural artifacts from disaster-stricken areas and ensuring their temporary storage in secure locations. The proposed structure also envisions civil protection services operating at national, regional, district, and city levels, allowing local authorities to establish additional services tailored to their specific needs and resources. If approved, this new resolution will replace the existing civil protection services document from 2019.