International Development Law Organization

Kyrgyzstan builds pool of local justice training experts

Using the skills acquired during an advanced training of trainers course, Kyrgyz judges have independently designed and led a two-day seminar for the High Justice Training Center (HJTC) of Kyrgyzstan in June 2017, showing how judicial capacity building is helping to advance key reforms of the justice sector.

A newly created pool of highly qualified local training experts is enabling the country to deliver training without the support of international experts. It is also transforming the learning process of Kyrgyz justice professionals, moving away from passive lectures and instead embracing more interactive methods of adult learning and mentoring.

In March 2017, 15 judges from local courts and the Kyrgyz Supreme Court - including its chairperson - participated in a seven-day advanced capacity building course, facilitated by the USAID-IDLO Kyrgyzstan Judicial Strengthening Program (JSP). All had prior JSP training experience and took part in order to hone their skills as trainers and learn how to develop interactive training programs for other professionals.

One of the alumni of the advanced training of trainers and a former appellate court judge of the Bishkek City Court, Nurgul Asanova, went on to lead the HJTC seminar.

“The advanced training taught me to lead the adult teaching process in a more informative and interactive way,” she said. “For the seminar, we divided the curriculum into a number of sessions. Then, together with the participants, we defined the goals of each session. As a result, we were able to assess participants’ needs throughout the learning process and give them what they actually need.”

All alumni of the advanced training of trainers will now lead training modules for Kyrgyz judges on their specific topics of expertise, thereby improving the capacity of professionals within the country’s judiciary.

Under the JSP, IDLO is working to develop the capacity of the judiciary through mandatory, comprehensive training programs with a view to restoring judicial integrity and supporting reforms towards independence of the judiciary. Since 2015, 78 judges have been trained to become trainers themselves.

Thanks to this pool of qualified judge trainers, as well as increased government funding achieved with support from the JSP, systematic training is now being offered to judges, bailiffs, courtroom security personnel, judge applicants, assistants and secretaries. In addition, almost three months of pre-judge training was recently completed by 40 applicants.

Image: Nurgul Asanova, former appellate court judge, Bishkek City Court