INTRAC in Central Asia 1994-2018: a story of the past, the present and the future

This paper provides an overview of INTRAC’s presence in Central Asia and the impact that we have had. For 25 years, since we were first commissioned by the UN Volunteer Programme 1994, INTRAC has provided training and capacity building for civil society groups and associations across the region. In 2018, INTRAC’s Central Asia office in Bishkek closed. Although this is by no means the end of our involvement with civil society in Central Asia. Indeed, challenges for civil society remain acute across the region with pressures on civic space, and many social and economic inequalities to tackle. Where such needs persist, there remains a role for INTRAC.

This paper examines INTRAC’s past work in Central Asia, and how INTRAC’s future involvement in the region will change following the closure of the office.