Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic - On October 14, after a five month intensive classroom and on-site training course, 36 judicial candidates, out of a total of 287 applicants, were awarded their diplomas for successfully completing the IDLO Judicial Training Program. The Acting Chair of the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, Feruza Djamasheva, who awarded the diplomas commented that the “judicial system is an essential part of the reforms being carried out in the country. In this respect, the possibility to provide qualified personnel for the judicial system is a big achievement and I am therefore deeply grateful to IDLO for this productive cooperation as well as technical and financial assistance.”

IDLO has been working in Kyrgyzstan since 2005, implementing a multi-faceted commercial law Judicial Capacity Building Project, to improve the technical skills of judges, and to provide the necessary legal tools to carry out effective and coherent decisions. During the course of this project, a gap was identified between judicial appointment and training in skills necessary to assume a judgeship. In order to close it, IDLO created the Judicial Candidate Training Program which is a significant step forward for the Kyrgyz judiciary to become effective and autonomous. The unique skilled-based training program was attended by a select group of jurists who passed a two-tiered assessment process, followed by a rigorous qualification exam. This open and computerized qualification process ensured transparency and equal opportunity. The closing ceremony was attended by chairmen from military and local courts, the chairman and members of the Judicial Selection Council, representatives of the Presidential Administration and representatives of international organizations working in Kyrgyzstan.

In the development and implementation of the program, IDLO worked in partnership with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and in close collaboration with the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan, the Council of Judges and the Judicial Training Center. Margarita Milikh, IDLO Program Officer for Central Asia, who also attended the official closing graduation ceremony, remarked that “working side-by-side with the Kyrgyz judiciary on establishing and institutionalizing the judicial candidate training program is a great honor and a great responsibility for IDLO.”