Category: projects

What digital opportunities are available for rural communities?

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov

In honor of “Europe Day” on May 9 and “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day” on May 17, the Kyrgyz Internet Society hosted a webinar entitled “What are the digital opportunities for rural residents?” The webinar was attended by leaders of several EU-funded projects in Kyrgyzstan that provided information technology opportunities and grant support to youth, women and migrants in rural areas.

The webinar was opened by Hans Farnhammer, First Counselor of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic, Head of the Cooperation Department.

“Kyrgyzstan has taken a big step in digitalization. I think that the development is very fast and covers all areas: education and services. To develop them on a larger scale, we need an in-depth study of digital skills. I am very pleased that we are working with civil society to bring these skills to you. This is an invaluable opportunity for all of us,” said Hans Farnhammer.

Kseniya Tyshkevich, Project Coordinator from the European Neighborhood Council (ENC), Project “Promoting Equal Economic Opportunities and Resilience of Youth” in the Kyrgyz Republic (Sanarip Insan):

“To put it simply, a young entrepreneur living across the ocean or in a remote part of Kyrgyzstan can sell his products on the Internet, advertise or draw new ideas from the global flow of information, and he has such an opportunity. Based on this logic, the Sanarip Insan project is being implemented with the support of the European Union.”

Also speaking at the webinar were Prof. Ermanno Pietrocemoli, President of the Escuela Latinoamericana de Redes (EsLaRed) Foundation of the International Center for Theoretical Physics of the ICTP Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, and Grégoire Pouget, Co-Founder and CEO of Nothing2Hide:

“We all know about the benefits of the Internet, but sometimes it can be counterproductive and our joint project Sanarip Tazalyk helps and protects local journalists and activists.”

The remainder of the webinar featured presentations by the leaders of several projects funded by the European Union. Banur Abdiyeva, DigiKonush project coordinator, Leader PF director, Zhash Tabyshker project manager, Enactus Kyrgyzstan executive director Gulbarchin Suyunova, Sanarip Insan project media expert Sapargul Abdinabiyeva and Nurbek Arzymbayeva, Sanarip Tazalyk project manager shared information about their projects, goals and ways of their implementation.

At the end of the webinar, Talant Sultanov, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Internet Society, summed up the importance of achieving goals through cooperation and thanked the participants of the webinar.

The purpose of the webinar “What are the digital opportunities for rural residents?” – to inspire people in the regions, especially youth, women and migrants in remote rural areas, to learn about education, technology education, and provide information about grant opportunities. The main broadcast was on the Zoom platform, which was broadcast live on the official pages of the Kyrgyz Internet Society on YouTube and Facebook. It was attended by about 200 people from all over the country.

ISOC Kyrgyz Chapter officially joined the ITU Partner2Connect Program

Posted on by kyrgyzisoc

The Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter Public Association is proud to announce that it has officially joined the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Partner2Connect Program. As part of this program, the organization has submitted a pledge to bring digital skills to rural youth and women in the Kyrgyz Republic with a financing amount of 500 000 US dollars.
The importance of digital skills for rural youth in the Kyrgyz Republic cannot be overstated. According to recent statistics, over 50% of the population in Kyrgyzstan lives in rural areas, and a significant portion of this population is made up of women and youth. These individuals often lack access to the same resources and opportunities as their urban counterparts, making digital skills crucial for their economic resilience.
Digital skills can greatly improve the economic resilience of rural youth in Kyrgyzstan. For example, with access to digital skills, young people in rural areas can start their own businesses and take advantage of the global market. Additionally, digital skills can help young people find jobs, access educational resources, and stay connected to their communities.
The ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies. The Partner2Connect Program is a platform that brings together ITU members, private sector companies, and other organizations to promote digital skills and connectivity for all.

What digital opportunities are available for rural communities?

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov

To celebrate the Europe Day (9 May) and the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (17 May), the Kyrgyz Internet Society will host a webinar “What digital opportunities are available for rural communities?” The webinar will bring together leaders of several EU-funded and EU-related projects in the Kyrgyz Republic to inform youth, women and migrants in the rural areas about digital opportunities and grant support.

The webinar will be held on the Zoom platform. Participants from all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic can take part in it and ask questions.

2:00 pm Welcoming Remarks

Hans Farnhammer, Head of Cooperation, First Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic

2:15 pm Presentations

  • Professor Ermanno Pietrosemoli, Science, Technology and Innovation Unit, ICTP – International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Presidente Fundación Escuela Latinoamericana de Redes (EsLaRed)
  • Kseniya Tyshkevych, Project Coordinator, European Neighbourhood Council (ENC), Project: “Promoting equal opportunities and resilience of youth” in Kyrgyzstan (Sanarip Insan (Digital citizen))
  • Grégoire Pouget, co-founder and CEO of Nothing2Hide
  • Banur Abdiyeva, DigiKonush project coordinator, head of the Leader public foundation
  • Gulbarchin Suyunova, Zhash Tabyshker project coordinator, Executive Director of Enactus Kyrgyzstan
  • Sapargul Abdinabieva, media expert of the Sanarip Insan project
  • Nurbek Arzymbaev, Project Manager “Sanarip Tazalyk”, a joint initiative with the International Organization Tech4Press (France)

3:00 pm Discussion and Quiz with Prizes

3:25 pm Conclusion

Press Release Tech4Society

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov

A Cyber ​​Incident Response Team focused on the civilian sector began to work in Kyrgyzstan

In recent years, with the development of digitalization, the number of cybercrimes has also increased. According to official data, in Kyrgyzstan, on average, about 20 Kyrgyz websites are subjected to cyberattacks daily. Lack of education and lack of specialized experts lead to an increase in cybercrime and loss of personal data. With the launch of the Cybersecurity Coordination Center under the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic, almost all government agencies have the opportunity to receive assistance. At the same time, civil society remains vulnerable and continues to face cyber incidents, including hacks of personal pages.

In this regard, the Public Association “Internet Society Kyrgyzstan Chapter” (ISOC), with the assistance of Nothing2Hide (France), is launching the “Tech4Society” project to support activists, journalists and the civil sector on digital security issues. The project will operate a technical assistance call center in Kyrgyz and Russian, available 24 hours. This call center will respond to incidents related to data privacy, computer security and provide prompt assistance with cyber attacks that users face every day.

“In the media, examples of hacks and information leaks are increasingly being published. At the beginning of the year alone, more than ten journalists and activists complained that their accounts had been hacked. Moreover, at the end of 2019, following the publications of the customs corruption investigation, media websites experienced unprecedented DDoS attacks, which made their websites unavailable. To date, there are only two institutions in the country that deal with cyber incidents and they cover only the public sector. While civic activists, journalists and small businesses remain vulnerable and unprotected,” said Nurbek Arzymbaev, head of the Tech4Society project.

The project also plans to conduct trainings on cyber hygiene in order to increase awareness of the security tools of active communities. These events will help increase cyber resilience in the activities of journalists, activists, representatives of non-profit organizations and small businesses.

The call center can be contacted via the Signal app +996 501 551 029 or email [email protected].

More details about the project can be found at the following link: https://isoc.kg/ru/projects/t4s/

“Central Asia girls in ICT” online un-conference

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov

On April 28, in honor of the International Day of “Girls in Information and Communication Technologies”, the organization “Women in Digital Transformation”, “Initiatives of R. Otunbayeva” and the Kyrgyz Internet Society held an online discussion on the topic “Girls in ICT”. International and local experts, as well as successful women, shared their experience and opportunities in technology for girls. The main speaker of the online discussion was the ex-President of the Kyrgyz Republic Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva. In her speech, she shared that the potential of girls in technology is limitless:

“I am delighted that for the first time at the national level, an online session is being held in honor of Girls in ICT Day. Our foundation has been promoting the initiative to involve girls in digital technologies since 2013. As part of our STEAM training project, we have educated 193 specialists and trained more than 2,000 schoolgirls in Bishkek and Osh. We are supported by several donor organizations and institutions. Our goal, like yours, is to expand opportunities for girls in technology. Let’s work together to achieve common goals, because without technological knowledge we will not be able to conquer the 21st century,” shared the ex-president, Roza Otunbayeva.

MP Elvira Surabaldiyeva also noted that teaching girls about information technology is very important because it represents the interests of women in parliament. The next speaker was the Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic A. Beishenaliev. “As the primary source of information and technology education for children, we are now prioritizing science (STEM) teachers. According to a recent presidential decree, the salary of science teachers has been increased by 20% compared to other teachers.”

The next speaker of the online discussion was the Director of the State Agency for the Protection of Personal Data under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic – Nuria Kutnaeva. In her speech, she noted that we should all promote the idea of ​​IT, digitalization and help develop in this direction. Also, Nuria Kutnaeva shared a mentoring program where girls were trained in the necessary digital skills, digital security and IT career guidance. In addition to officials, the online discussion titled “Technological Opportunities for Girls” brought together several international and local experts.

During the online discussion, Natalia Mochu, ITU Regional Director for the CIS region, and Ekaterina Gromova, founder of the Women’s Digital Transformation Organization, spoke about international experience in the framework of ICT “Tashkent-Bishkek Girls” in the CIS.

Local Experts: Shaina Cram, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy; Shirin Aitmatova, Vice-President of the International Aitmatov Foundation and ex-deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic; Gulnaz Kordanova, founder of Teach for Kazakhstan and Connect-Ed.kz (Kazakhstan); Elena Selezneva, Startup Accelerator, founder of Tech4Impact (Uzbekistan); Jamal Frontbek kyzy, head of the public organization “Mutakalim”; Banur Abdiyeva, DigiKonush project coordinator; Aizada Kalkanbekova, director of the Public Radio “Suusamyr FM”, editor-in-chief of kyrgyzmedia.kg; Aidana Omurbayeva, IT Influencer and DevOps Engineer, Relativity LLC; Aiperi Nogoibaeva, Deputy Director of the Kyrgyz Association of Software and Services Developers; Aiperi Bozoeva, expert of the Digital Hygiene project; Sapargul Abdinabiyeva, media expert of the Sanarip Insan project, as well as the coordinator of the Village Girl project – Aidai Amankulova, the head of the first space program of Kyrgyzstan Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova, shared their experience on the opportunities of ICT for women and girls in Central Asia.

 

At the end of the event, the co-founder of the Kyrgyz Internet Society, Aziz Soltobaev, concluded: “Today we realized that together we can achieve great results and demonstrate the power of girls not only in ICT, but in science in general.”

Chairman of the Kyrgyz Internet Society, Talant Sultanov thanked all the participants and encouraged the girls to receive information technology education. The purpose of the online discussion “Central Asian Girls in ICT” was to inspire girls from remote rural areas to study and receive technological education.

The initial broadcast took place on the Zoom platform, and was also broadcast live on the official social pages on YouTube and Facebook. From all over the country connected: via Zoom – 100 people; 162 people watched the live broadcast via Facebook; through YouTube – 145 people. After inspiring discussions, a small online competition was organized for the girls. The participants were asked questions in the field of information technology, the winners were awarded certificates for IT courses, free consultations from IT professionals and gifts such as books and notebooks.

Un-Conference Central Asia Girls in ICT

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov


Opportunities for girls in ICT education and careers in Central Asia: informal online discussion in honor of International Girls in ICT Day

April 28, 2022, 16.00 Bishkek, 10.00 UTC

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88516164405?pwd=anBlZFNwWm5zNGhLM29QQjhyamxLZz09

Facebook Live Stream: https://fb.watch/cG2PkgRuU8/ 

YouTube Live Stream: https://youtu.be/Xvt7Gd-SnBg

The Central Asian Girls in ICT event aims to inspire and empower girls and girls, especially in rural areas, to pursue education and careers in the ICT sector and STEAM in general. International and local experts and leaders will share their stories and talk about opportunities for girls in Central Asia. The online event will be held in an informal environment without protocol, so that the participants and participants can freely communicate with each other and with prominent ICT experts and leaders.

Program
Organizers: International Organization “Women in Digital Transformation”, Kyrgyz Internet Society and International Public Foundation “Initiatives of Roza Otunbayeva”
Hosts: Ekaterina Gromova, Talant Sultanov

16.00 Greetings

  • Roza Otunbayeva, founder of the International Public Foundation “Initiatives of Roza Otunbayeva”, ex-president
  • Almazbek Beishenaliev, Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic
  • Elvira Surabaldieva, Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic
  • Nuria Kutnaeva, Director of the State Agency for the Protection of Personal Data under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic

16.30 Teleconference Tashkent-Bishkek “Girls in ICT in the CIS Region”

  • Natalia Mochu, ITU Regional Director for the CIS Region
  • Ekaterina Gromova, Co-Founder, Women in Digital Transformation

16.45 Presentations “Opportunities in ICT for girls and girls in Central Asia”

  • Shayna Cram, Head of Public Affairs, US Embassy
  • Shirin Aitmatova, Vice-President of the International Aitmatov Foundation, Former Deputy of the Jogorku
  • Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic
  • Gulnaz Kordanova, Co-Founder, Teach for Kazakhstan and Connect-Ed.kz (Kazakhstan)
  • Elena Selezneva, Director, Startup Accelerator, Co-Founder of Tech4Impact (Uzbekistan)
  • Jamal Frontbek kyzy, Head of the public organization “Mutakalim”
  • Banur Abdiyeva, Founder of the Center for Civic Initiatives “Leader” (Karakol), European Union Project “DigiKonush”
  • Aizada Kalkanbekova, Director of the community radio “Suusamyr FM” and editor-in-chief of the news site kyrgyzmedia.kg
  • Aidana Omurbayeva, DevOps Engineer at Relativity LLC, IT Influencer
  • Aiperi Nogoibaeva, Deputy Director KARPOU (Kyrgyz Association of Software Developers and Services)
  • Aiperi Bozoeva, Digital Hygiene Project “Sanarip Tazalyk”
  • Sapargul Abdinabiyeva, European Union Project “Sanarip Insan”
  • Aidai Amankulova, Village Girl Project
  • Kyzzhibek Batyrkanova, Head of the first space program in Kyrgyzstan, an initiative included in the BBC Global List of “100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women in the World”

Questions and answers. Competition with prizes

Presentation of the Digital Citizen project

Posted on by kyrgyzisoc

Салам, достор!
Өткөн бейшембиде “Санарип Инсан” долбоорунун тушоо кесүүсү өттү. Долбоордун бет ачарында мамлекеттик жана жеке секторлор катышып, ой пикирлери менен бөлүшүштү. Биз бардык катышкан өнөктөштөргө ыраазычылык билдиребиз!

Roundtable on ‘Improving the Employment Potential of Rural Youth, Women and Migrants through Digital Skills Development’. Launch of the Sanarip Insan project

Posted on by Azhybek Nurlanov

On 31 March 2022, a forum on “Promoting Equal Economic Opportunities and Resilience of Youth” was held at the Park Hotel Conference Hall, where the Sanarip Insan Project was launched. The round table was held in a hybrid format, with more than 80 guests from the public and private sectors attending offline and international partners and viewers from remote regions of the Kyrgyz Republic attending online.  

The Sanarip Insan project aims to build digital skills capacity among young people, migrants and women, from basic digital literacy to more in-demand digital skills such as information search, use of digital platforms, use of social media functionality, financial operations, online commerce and advanced entrepreneurial skills using information technology. The project plans to reach 100,000 people. 

The Sanarip Insan project is implemented by the European Neighbourhood Council together with the Kyrgyz Internet Society with the financial support of the European Union.

Video report           Photo          Presentations

Post-release           Agenda        Press-release

The round table combined a business conference with the national traditions of the Kyrgyz people. At the beginning of the forum, the six-year-old Manaschi performed several Manas commandments. Then, during the forum, Raimonds Wingris, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, gave a “Tushoo kesүү” to the child to mark the opening of the project. 

Raimonds Vingris, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, spoke about increasing knowledge in digital skills among the population to ensure rapid employment: “Even in EU countries, there is a digital divide. Adult citizens with low levels of digital skills are more likely to have problems finding jobs, and even when they are employed, they get less than adults with higher levels of digital skills,” he said.

Soyuzbek Nadyrbekov, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, was introduced to all aspects of the project and expressed his great desire to cooperate to jointly improve knowledge in digital literacy among citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic. 

Nurdölöt Bazarbaev, Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic, shared that the digital literacy of the population, in the future, will enable the citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic to import digital services to international companies while staying in their home country. 

Ulanbek Mambetakunov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, shared a great desire to cooperate and improve the digital knowledge and skills of the population to achieve sustainable development goals: “We should pay attention to poverty eradication, to quality education, and necessarily consider digital skills to achieve sustainable development goals. The Ministry of Education and other ministries and agencies are making great efforts to develop digital skills, information literacy and as far as you know, a draft of the state educational standard for primary general education is currently being prepared, where one of the objectives is to develop digital literacy plus increase students’ knowledge on the green economy”. 

Internet creator and Google VP – Vinton Cerf also spoke at the forum, where he shared the importance of teaching digital skills to vulnerable groups in order to increase the capacity of the population.

Maria Bevza, Project Coordinator at the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) spoke about the implementation of the Sanarip Insan project and the targets to be achieved over the next 2 years. 

Leaders of youth and women’s organisations such as SheStarts, Mutakalim, Otkrytaya Liniya, shared their views on the need to promote equal economic opportunities and sustainability for youth and women in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The forum was the opening event of the Sanarip Insan project where partners, state authorities, media and beneficiaries came to an agreement on cooperation to maximise the promotion of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic through enhanced digital skills. 

We take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your presence at the event and your interest in cooperation to achieve common goals. Thank you for your contributions of time, resources and attention!
We will be glad to receive your feedback on social pages.

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Additional information about the project can be obtained by phone:
+996 755 330 335 and e-mail: [email protected]
“This <website/page> has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. The content of this publication is the responsibility of the European Neighborhood Council (ENC) / Public Association “Kyrgyz Internet Society” and does not reflect the views of the European Union.