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Ferghana Valley Lawyers Without Borders

Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Joined January 2016
Presence in: Kyrgyzstan
Focus: Citizenship & Identification, Family, Gender-based violence, Governance, Accountability & Transparency, Labor & Employment, Right to Information

The idea of creation of organization of Ferghana Valley lawyers was suggested at the International Conference of lawyers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 2002. The group of active conference participants formed a working group, which became an initiative group of the creation of Public Organization “Ferghana Valley lawyers without borders” (FVLWB).

FVLWB is non-profit, non-political, non-governmental organization, established with the purpose of consolidation of professional lawyers for conflict prevention and strengthening of lawfulness, development of regional and international co-operation in human rights area.

Currently they are the main UNHCR implementing partner in southern Kyrgyzstan for the “Seeds for Solutions” initiative. They have created and supervised 30 mobile legal teams that travel to remote areas of the country in order to provide legal consultations to our beneficiaries. Since June 2014, we have provided legal aid to more than nine thousands persons, and we have helped them file for citizenship determination or acquisition.

Our organization also undertakes strategic litigation, and has contributed to setting important precedents in matters of statelessness. We also work closely with our governmental partners in developing proposals for legislative amendments that we believe will reduce and prevent statelessness in the country.

FVLWB has intention to solve the following tasks:
• Assistance to development of mutual understanding, tolerance, and equality in Ferghana Valley and to maintenance of the peace and stability in the region;
• Prevention and resolution of conflicts between population and state bodies and between various groups;
• Strengthening respect for Human rights and freedoms;
• Human Rights protection in Ferghana Valley countries, through rendering of advocacy, legal aid and representation;
• Assistance to observance of human rights through realization of the legal education campaigns, dissemination of information on human rights and mechanisms of their protection;
• Attraction of human, financial and technical resources for promotion of ideas of human rights and principles of democracy in the countries of Ferghana valley.

FVLWB is the regional implementing partner of UNHCR. FVLWB is IP, which focuses on stateless people in South Kyrgyzstan, whereas the problem is relevant and urgent. Also FVLWB operates in border areas of the Fergana Valley with frequent armed conflicts involving the military and local residents. As a regional UNHCR partner FVLWB involved in emergency preparedness and response work in the humanitarian context.