«According to the World Bank estimates, part of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic living below the poverty line could grow to 38 percent by the end of the year, which will set the country a decade back in its efforts to combat poverty,» the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Olivier De Schutter said at a press conference.

The UN Special Rapporteur, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to study the problem of poverty worldwide, has been invited by the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan to prepare a report on the efforts made to reduce poverty in the country. From May 23 to June 3, the expert met with representatives of eight ministries, MPs, members of local authorities, regional authorities, people affected by poverty, civil society organizations, as well as organizations for cooperation in development and UN agencies.

According to him, the level of poverty in Kyrgyzstan is gradually decreasing. But more than a quarter of the country’s population still lives below the poverty line according to 2020 data. Based on national poverty definition methodologies based on a line of 1,000 soms, about 23.7 percent of people in Kyrgyzstan live in poverty. However, this is inaccurate information as prices are rising day by day.

«If we take the average subsistence minimum of 6,000 soms per month, then most of the country’s population may be at the poverty line. This affects the elderly, people with disabilities and residents of the regions. Faced with post-pandemic challenges and the impact of sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan is struggling to cope with rising food prices, declining remittance income and growing unemployment,» Olivier De Schutter said.