On March 14, 2026, the Founding Assembly of Mediators of the Kyrgyz Republic was held in Bishkek. The event was organized by the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republican Community of Mediators of the Kyrgyz Republic (RCM), with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The congress was attended by mediators, members of the Jogorku Kenesh, representatives of state bodies and the judicial system, as well as international experts and partners.
The purpose of the congress was to establish the Chamber of Mediators of the Kyrgyz Republic, approve its founding and internal regulatory documents, form its governing bodies, and discuss a strategic step for the legal system — Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements, which would make it possible to recognize mediation outcomes at the international level. The Head of the International Legal Center, Zhakupov Zhandilda, and the Coordinator of the International Legal Center, Aida Zamanbekova, were also invited to participate in the congress. Mr. Zhakupov delivered a welcoming speech and expressed words of support at this historic moment for the mediators of Kyrgyzstan.
At the opening of the event, speeches on the development of mediation in Kyrgyzstan were delivered by K.K. Kazakov, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic; Ayten Rustamova, Regional Director of the EBRD Representative Office; A. Solovyeva, UNDP Resident Representative; and Yakup Erikeli, Chairman of the Association of Mediators of the Turkic World.
During the congress, the Charter of the Chamber of Mediators of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Code of Professional Ethics for Mediators of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Regulations on the Council of the Chamber of Mediators, the Regulations on the Audit Commission, and the Development Program of the Chamber of Mediators for 2026–2028 were approved. Members of the Council and the Commissions of the Chamber were also elected.
In the second half of the congress, the topic of Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the Singapore Convention on Mediation was presented in detail by Natalya Borisovna Alenkina, Candidate of Legal Sciences and international expert. During the panel discussion on “Contemporary Challenges in the Professional Activity of a Mediator,” international experts from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey delivered presentations. Aida Zamanbekova, Coordinator of the International Legal Center and trainer-mediator, spoke about the challenges facing mediation in Kazakhstan.
