Questions/Answers

Citizen centered state and service oriented information system require information systems to function as an integrated whole to support citizens and organizations. In 2014, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic decided to establish the Unified Population Registry (UPR) of the Kyrgyz Republic, based on the integration of different state databases and The State Registration Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (SRS) registers. Today SRS is the largest holder of registration databases under UPR concept and responsible for population registration, including passport system, civil status acts, transport and property registration. UPR is a logical and integrated system that maintains a record of the life cycle of a person from the moment of birth registration. This convergence simplifies identity checks for passport applicants through sharing database, maintaining secrecy, privacy and confidentiality based on use of UPR. Electronic sharing of information between law enforcement agencies and other relevant public and private organizations is implemented by SRS to save time and ease things for applicants as well as providing accuracy of personal data. I one hand it offers better quality services to the population, in other hand the correct information in the population register makes it possible for state to perform their duties better and plan the allocation of its funds more specifically and direct developments. UPR includes the following components:  database of biometric data of the Kyrgyz citizens over 16 years.  database of civil status records: Personal Identification Number - PIN (assigned at birth), full name, date of birth, surname/name change, and marital status;  database of issued passports;  citizenship database;  database of "place of residence". Now a person does not need to provide several documents to establish their identity, all data is maintained in an automatic mode and can be retrieved from the individual UPR.

Population is the principal heritage of every country. Only government, which possesses an information about population, may plan the future of its country in a correct, secure and effective way. The overall objective of the Unified population register (UPR) is to create a comprehensive identity database in the country with full identification and other details by registering each and every usual resident in the country. This would help in better targeting the benefits and services under the Government schemes/programmes, improve planning and prevent identity fraud. The UPR automates manual processes of the State registration departments creating a central database for all the country’s Birth and death registration.

1. Unified population register has contributed to an improvement of the quality of public service in provision of identification documents, such as passports, birth certificates, etc. in the remote areas and makes sure that every citizen especially the poorest and most vulnerable groups can access the documentation that grants them their basic rights. 2. UPR serves for single source of population data, improvement of the electoral system, through the formation of the accurate voters list. Also, On the basis of digitized data of the UPR a geo-information system of address register of the Kyrgyz Republic is developed, which an electronic map is showing the qualitative and quantitative indicators for the country's population. On the basis of this system a border management tool of the polling stations was established and used on an ongoing basis by the Central Election Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic. An automated information system of registration and recording of information on citizenship (accepted and refused) was created and implemented as one of the components of UPR. Work has already begun on integration UPR system with information systems of the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior Affairs.

The State Registration Service (SRS) delivers more than 50 state services. Before introducing the automated systems under the UPR project in 2014, even basic services for citizens were frequently organized in a complex way and assigned to different administrative levels and authorities. For citizens it was often unclear who is responsible and which documents they need to present for which service, and how long they will have to wait. So main objective was to improve citizen’s access to public services. Since 2014 UPR systems were introduced in Population service centers (PSC) across the country. During 2017 three of them were modernized and deliver customer-oriented and innovative services. Working procedures and processes in administrations are also was standardized, simplified and made transparent. As a result, SRS provides its improved services quickly and efficiently. Currently, 363 information kiosks in villages across the country and Public Service Delivery offices in capital cities in oblasts fully operate and offer services for population in provision of identification documents, such as passports, birth certificates, etc. Due to UPR citizens have more options for communicating and interacting with the state. For example, get service through the e-service portal https://e.srs.kg/ (18 services).

Within the Project for Supporting the Unified Population Registry to Establish the E-Government System of the UNDP the following equipment has been procured: Computer and office supply kit (950 sets), Monitor (1200), Printer (950), Scanner (970), Chip R/W (700), Pin pad reader (220), Combo-reader (5000) as encoder and decoder equipment, Digital camera (366), Tablet (1000), Matrix printer (150), UPS (2), and VPN channel for creation of secure communication channels and data protection. Additionally, e-ID Personalization machines (2) are provided for issuance of electric ID (biometrics) as well as passport, and specialized vehicles (16 mini-buses) are introduced to enhance provision of public services in remote areas of the State. Beneficiaries of the equipment 363 information kiosks, 17 Public service centers, 2,000,000 Possibly Estimated population who registered e-ID through the kiosks and the service centers. Total number of sub-regions which are to receive benefit by the specially equipped vehicles for mobile documentation 26 sub-regions. Total number of rural communities (aiyl okmotus) which are to receive benefit by the vehicles: approx. 285 Total number of population who reside in the above rural communities targeted by deployment of the vehicles: approx. 2,450,548.

It should be emphasized that full implementation of the UPR system allows not only to conduct fair elections but also to reform civil registration system and documenting the citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic and to create a fundamental basis for e-Government. In this regard SRS fully digitalized 4 011 876 records of address cards. Technical infrastructures of SRS territorial units are currently being modernized with the requirements of information security. Currently school children’s (1 058 000 records) and pre-school children’s (778 000 records) birth certificates were digitalize. After processing the digitized data each child will be given a personal identification number with reference to their parents.

The second phase of development of the state system for registration and documentation of population of the Kyrgyz Republic is under implementation as part of reforms to improve the electoral process by using of innovative technologies and improving the quality of registry services, as a basis for the introduction of electronic government for citizens and businesses. This phase provides establishment of the state system of manufacturing, processing and control of the national identity card (ID card) with integrated biometric identification chip holder. Development of a universal tool for identifying a person on the basis of biometric technologies allows getting quality public services in an electronic format as well as increase the effectiveness of the voter identification system in the presidential elections in 2017.

Civil registration iallows a government record the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries. It can be called a civil registry,population register (but this is also an official term for an individual file of a vital event), vital records, and other terms, and the office responsible for receiving the registrations can be called a registration service, registry of vital records and statistics, registrar, registry, register, registry office (officially register office), or population registry. The primary purpose of civil registration is to create a legal document that can be used to establish and protect the rights of individuals. A secondary purpose is to create a data source for the compilation of vital statistics. In most countries, there is a legal requirement to notify the relevant authority of certain life events, such as births, marriages and death.

State registration service and it's departments in close cooperation with unternational organizatins, icluding UN Agencies, Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Yes

On the initiative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic A. Atambaev, in accordance with the decisions of the National Council for Sustainable Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, since 2014 work is been carrying out on improvement of the electoral system in order to conduct fair and open elections. Modern innovative solutions based on the use of information and biometric technologies were implemented for the first time in the elections of deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of the Kyrgyz Republic. The use of biometric technologies is aimed to minimize the risks linked to falsification and fraud in electoral processes, excluding the mechanism known as "carousels" or multiple voting. The voters list includes citizens who have reached the age of 18, who have submitted biometric data and have a valid passport of citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic. The basic principle of forming lists and conducting of elections is "one voter - one vote". By the decisions of the National Council for Sustainable Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, the SRS was charged to create the UPR as the main source of information in formation of an accurate and reliable voters list containing personal and biometric data of the citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic.

According to the United Nations civil registration is "the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population as provided through decreeor regulation in accordance with the legal requirements of a country. Civil registration is carried out primarily for the purpose of establishing the legal documents required by law. These records are also a main source of vital statistics. Complete coverage, accuracy and timeliness of civil registration are essential to ensure the quality of vital statistics." Therefore, when operating effectively, a system of Unified population register provides reliable information that can be used for various purposes. Information gathered through regular Unified population register systems is used for planning, budgeting, issuing identification documents; establishing eligibility to vote and as well as to access education, health care, social insurance, welfare and pension systems; and determining liability or eligibility for military service.

Fundamental function of the government is documenting of vital events in a person’s life (including birth, marriage, divorce, adoption, and death). So the population registration is the act of recording and functioning system that can support efficient registration of births and other vital events. The civil registry provides individuals with the documentary evidence required to secure recognition of their legal identity, their nationality and their ensuing rights, such as to social protection and inheritance. The benefits from civil registries and the statistics they help produce, will be large across many sectors of government and across the private sector.

Yes

Annual report “On measures aimed at improving the level of trust and ensuring inclusiveness of the election process in the Kyrgyz Republic” was prepared by the State Registration Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (hereinafter SRS). The Report is prepared in the framework of the financial agreement between the Kyrgyz Republic and the European Union on Program “Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform – Sector Reform Contract DCI-ASIE/2015/038-149” (hereinafter Program). The purpose of the Report is assessment of work carried out to improve inclusiveness and improve the transparency in the management of the electoral processes, namely, the compilation of voters’ lists, the use of innovative technologies in electoral processes and electoral reforms of the Kyrgyz Republic. The result of this work should be building of a democratic electoral system in the Kyrgyz Republic and a maximum involvement of citizens in electoral processes. The Report will serve as a basis for the preparation of the next report as of January 1, 2017, following the results of the elections of deputies of local keneshes appointed for 2016. 21 UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION The report is subject to publication on the official site of the SRS, paper versions of the report will be sent to all interested state and international organizations.

For the first time in the history of the country, parliamentary elections were held with the use of modern information technologies, which allowed solving two main problems during the elections: the mechanism known as "carousels" and mass ballot stuffing that caused destabilization and population distrust in election results. In general, according to international observers, organizations, experts, local political parties and non-governmental organizations, the election of deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic using the latest technologies was open and free. Based on the results of the work carried out and taking into account the experience gained during the preparation and conduct of the elections, the main directions for improving the components of UPR as the basis for the formation of voter lists: Improving the accuracy of voter lists The SRS with the assistance of local authorities and the CEC should continue the work in terms of updating voter lists by: - Digitization of death certificates registered in ayil okmotu; - Exclusion of problematic PIN and ensure the principle “1 citizen – 1 PIN -1 passport” - Activation of work with undocumented citizens and the exchange of passports of the 1974 and 1994 passports for passports of the 2004 model (ID-card).

Indicator / Condition: Credibility of electoral processes increased Title: Inclusiveness of the Unified Population Register, the main source for the general voter list Baseline: No report available yet as the register including biometric data is currently created. Target: Development of a yearly public report that includes a statistical analysis taking into account age groups, sex, territorial and regional entities and units. The report will include a separate section on Bishkek and Osh and entail an analysis of the inclusion of internal migrants by comparing propiska and de-facto address. The first report will be based on the data as of 01/01/2016. It will be published to the SRS website and hard copies will be distributed. Source of verification: Official website of SRS.

Following the request of 23 November 2011 from the State Registration Service of the Kyrgyz Republic (SRS) to provide assistance in the establishment of a state-wide population register, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE ODIHR) visited the Kyrgyz Republic from 6 to 7 December 2011. The OSCE ODIHR expert team comprised Mr. Zoran Dokovic, OSCE ODIHR Migration/Freedom of Movement Adviser, and Mr. Frank Nan, ODIHR’s external population registration expert. In a meeting with SRS officials, an agreement was reached on a joint work plan for an assessment of the requirements for the establishment of a computerized population registration system as part of ongoing population registration reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic. Since that period of time most international partners of the SRS were involved in this huge and ambitious project. In particular OSCE, UNDP, EU Commission, IFES, JICA, Legal clinic Adilet, “Taza Shailoo” Association, local State Agencies etc. Thank to all our partners today we visible result of the mutual work.

The effectiveness of the SRS in electoral processes largely depends on the quality of its registers and UPR components. Due to the fact that the SRS has registers and databases of different generations and on different operating platforms, the compatibility and synchronization of electronic data is difficult. In addition, the bulk of the personal information stored in the form of card files and on paper. It is necessary to optimize and improve the used information systems and integrate them in the formation of voter lists, update the information stored in the UPR components, including: - In order to promptly obtain information about citizens who have withdrawn from citizenship, it is necessary to develop and implement an information system on accounting for the adoption and withdrawal from the citizenship of the Kyrgyz Republic; - For keeping records of internal migration, it is necessary to develop and implement an information system of the address-inquiry bureau; - Scan and translate into electronic format card files of address sheets stored on paper; - Carry out an additional inventory of the names of settlements, streets and, in general, the Address Register, including by creating a geo-information system with data on electronic maps. • Information and awareness-raising campaign In order to increase the awareness of citizens, it is necessary to conduct information and awareness-raising campaigns throughout the Republic on the principles of conducting elections, the need for biometric registration, the timely documentation, especially child birth and updating of personal data in the event of their change.