On the 15th of May 2025, the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) and Search for Common Ground (Search) hosted an informal exchange with Samara Papieva, Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia at Search for Common Ground, on shrinking civic space in Kyrgyzstan and the wider Central Asian region.
As foreign aid continues to shape civic landscapes, this discussion offered a critical reflection on how international development—particularly EU-funded initiatives—has impacted civil society and peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict settings.
The conversation explored opportunities to reinvent development investments in the areas of civil society strengthening, peace and security, and beyond. Through test cases such as back channel diplomacy on the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border demarcation and community-led peacebuilding initiatives including on digitalization and climate justice, the discussion presented pilot alternative, localized approaches to development.
This is an opportunity to exchange ideas, reflect on lessons learned, and discuss concrete ways to ensure development programming contributes meaningfully to sustainable peace and resilient civic space.
