"Digitalization and Government in Action: Insights from Minister N.A. Kutnaeva"

On October 15, 2024, 100 years and one day after the formation of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region, I was able to attend a very interesting event - an open lesson by the Minister of Digital Development KutnaevaNuria Asylbekovna for students, I would say from my experience, of one of the best educational institutions in Central Asia, the OSCE Academy. The open lecture was planned a month in advance and was held for undergraduate students in economics. The first thing that caught my eye was that despite her enormous workload that day, Nuria Kutnaeva did not cancel the previously planned lecture, but found time (sacrificing her own lunch) and held it, showing the students - the future leaders of the countries of the region, that there are no more or less important things or people for her, and that our ministers know how to keep their promises, despite their tight schedule (which she could not have foreseen a month before the event).

The lesson she conducted was very interesting and important for future economists, since digitalization and the increased use of artificial intelligence, whether in manufacturing sectors, in the service sector or in public administration and business management, are at the forefront of economic development today.

In particular, as part of her open lecture, the minister spoke about the activities of the Ministry of Digital Development, about the progress in digitalization within the country, in general, about the impact of digitalization on the social and economic reality in Kyrgyzstan and increasing the efficiency of the state. Nuria Kutnaeva also spoke about the latest innovations in this sector, including the recently introduced opportunity to register residence permit online, which, by the way, was designated as one of the goals in 2023 and the expected soon first in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and one of the first in the world digital codes. The Minister clearly showed how much easier the document flow in Kyrgyzstan is becoming and how much red tape and queues have been reduced due to digitalization, as well as how much the workload of PSC (Population Service Centers) employees has decreased. ( Thus, instead of 18,000 requests for certificates per month to PSCs in September 2023, in September 2024 there were only 2,000 requests for certificates per month. This was achieved due to the possibility of exchanging data between government agencies via the SMEV(inter-departmental electronic interaction system) " Tunduk ", as well as due to the capabilities of the Tunduk mobile application.)

At the same time, the work continues, and now there is an increasing emphasis on the involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency of government agencies. In particular, within the framework of the Population Service Centers, AI will soon be widely analyzing the causes of queues if they arise and offering solutions based on the information received.

Answering students' questions, the Minister also pointed out the difficulties in the digitalization process. It turned out that, for example, at the moment there are no obstacles from government agencies at all levels to the digitalization process. Now the main thing is to change the procedures at the legislative level - to remove all the rules that require certificates from citizens. In general, digitalization processes are gaining momentum, making life easier for ordinary citizens, increasing the efficiency of government agencies and reducing costs for document flow, paper and reducing time costs for both businesses and the state and individual citizens. If we talk about more accurate data on the development of the interdepartmental electronic interaction system (SMEV) " Tunduk " and the results of digitalization of public services in brief , the following achievements can be noted:

• 3+ billion data exchanges — over 3,006,846,764 exchanges between government agencies and private organizations! Faster, more convenient, no paperwork.
• 1343 services and 311 participants are connected to " Tunduk ".
• In 2024, 11 million online services were provided through the Tunduk portal and application, and there were already 1.7 million users.

It is safe to say that Digital documents are currently always at hand. In particular, in the Tunduk application , 9 digital documents are available, including a passport, driver's license and birth certificate.

In 2024, the following were added to this list:

🔸 Pension certificate

🔸 Certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur

🔸 Certificate of education

Moreover, electronic documents from “ Tunduk ” have the same force as paper ones and are suitable for use in government agencies and private companies.

Also in 2024, 18 new services appeared on Tunduk . Among them:

1. Certificate of absence/presence of property tax arrears
2. Digitization of Civil Registry Office documents
3. Applying for a Criminal Record Certificate
4. Online queue at the Public Service Center
5. Re-obtaining a passport and various certificates online
6. Online registration at the place of residence (propiska)

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic continues to simplify access to government services and develop digitalization for the convenience of citizens.

By the way, I myself have experienced the increased efficiency of government agencies as a result of digitalization to the fullest extent, since there were times when, for example, I had to go to the city of Karakol on “paper” matters and I was able to return on the same day, since all the documents were processed in a very short time due to digitalization. So the work of the Ministry of Digital Development is a solid “five”!

I am convinced that if the entire government team works as effectively and forcefully as Minister N.A. Kutnaeva does , Kyrgyzstan has a future. And from my observations, our country's leadership really does work. Moreover, this work is not sporadic or unsystematic, but based on a long-term strategy in both the economic and social and political spheres. I am saying this, so to speak, not from hearsay: along with a number of other invitees in connection with the work of the Ministry of Economy on the 2030 strategy, last week I was able to attend a meeting with Deputy Minister of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic Choro Seitov, which, firstly, once again testifies to the openness of our government to the people, and secondly, based on the ideas regarding the 2030 strategy, which, by the way, will be built taking into account the tasks of Kyrgyzstan until 2050, I was able to understand the level of elaboration of the current development strategy (I will try to outline my ideas regarding our priorities for 2030 in one of the subsequent publications). In particular, we all see the mass construction of roads, social and industrial infrastructure facilities in the republic. For the first time since independence, a hundred enterprises were built in one year; for the first time, Kyrgyzstan is on the list of the fastest growing economies in the world; for the first time in independent Kyrgyzstan, we began to build a railway, and are also developing a number of alternative routes. Such things cannot be accidental. This is the result of the painstaking work of everyone in the country's leadership, starting from President Sadyr Japarov and Chief of Cabinet Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov , who build foreign policy and strategy for internal development, as well as control the construction process and many other components of success, to regional officials. (those who do not know how to work today are quickly "excommunicated" from their positions)

I think the work of the Chairman of the State Committee for National Security, Deputy Prime Minister Kamchybek Tashiev, also deserves special attention. Tashiev , who is forming the institutional framework of a new, socially-oriented and more effective Kyrgyzstan, as a result of which the fight against corruption and crime has reached the highest level. The work of the Minister of Agriculture, Deputy to Chief of Ministers Cabinet Bakyt Torobaev , who competently builds a strategy for the development of agriculture, is also visible to the naked eye. (In particular, one cannot but rejoice in the desire to develop not just agriculture, but the agro-industrial complex of the republic, with the expansion of opportunities for industrial processing of agricultural products, the desire to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector)

Ayaz Baetov, Minister of Justice deserves special attention since he formed a team that was able to return Kumtor gold mining to Kyrgyzstan and solve many other problems related to international arbitration, as well as systematize the work of notary offices, which can no longer stamp out " fake " documents in batches. The Ministry of Finance and the State Tax Service have significantly increased the transparency of financial flows, not least through digitalization.

The National Bank's rates are comparatively low by current standards, having been reduced since the time of Chairman Kubanychbek Bokontaev , and those held under Chairman Melis Turgunbaev , also play a positive role in the development of the Kyrgyz economy. The introduction of the digital som, albeit in test mode for now, and many other digital options in the banking sector, in the long term will also play (and are already playing) their positive role.

In the future, in order to better understand the degree of influence of each ministry on the development of the economy, I will try to find opportunities for meetings with other officials, so that, as in the case of Minister N. Kutnaeva and Deputy Minister Ch. Seitov, I can learn more first-hand about the activities of our state and analyze these activities from an economic point of view. Especially since such meetings and the analysis associated with them would significantly help me in completing my research for my doctoral dissertation.

But now, as I have already noted, from the meeting with the Minister of Digital Development and the Deputy Minister of Economy, I was left with the most positive impressions and confidence in the future of our country!

Bakhtiyar Igamberdiev ,