ODIHR provides recommendations on establishing a population register in Kyrgyzstan

An expert team from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented its assessment and recommendations on how to best establish a fully computerized population register in Kyrgyzstan at a launch event in Bishkek on 24 July 2012.

“A population register provides benefits to the entire state public administration by allowing it access to legally valid personal information,” said Anders Troedsson, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. “This is required to improve services to citizens in all policy areas.”

Among the key recommendations presented to senior government representatives, as well as to members of the Presidential administration and public institutions, was that information stored in the population register should be the only legally valid source of citizens’ personal information used for administering state-provided services and products relying on personal data.

The report adds that the collection and updating of data in the population register should be connected to changes in a citizen’s civil status or residency, as registered by relevant authorities, and not be based on information copied from applications for identification or travel documents.

Furthermore, the assessment notes that the system should allow personal data collected or updated once at the local level to be stored in a central population register, where it can be accessed when necessary and as appropriate by the authorized public authorities.

The ODIHR assessment followed a request from the State Registration Service for assistance in the establishment of a state-wide population register.

It is part of ODIHR’s continuing activities to assist participating States in following up on recommendations made in final reports by the Office’s election observation missions, as well as in developing frameworks to provide citizens with access to state-guaranteed rights and services.