AKIPRESS.COM - Residents of Chukur-Kishtak village in Batken region of Kyrgyzstan received land ownership documents after two decades of appeal. The resolution came after work done by lawyers and the local authorities to analyse the issue, as part of a UNHCR’s peacebuilding project.

“For twenty years, I was worried about my house every day. Finally, I can sleep peacefully in my own house,” said Ismail Taikarayev, one of the 28 residents of Chukur-Kishtak village who received their private property certificates.

For many years, Chukur-Kishtak villagers have tried to register their land with the local registration office in Kadamjai district. But the State Registration Service could not find ways to register their properties as the village was located very close to the border with Uzbekistan.

Taikarayev heard of UNHCR’s project “Building trust and confidence among people, communities and authorities”. In April 2015, he approached UNHCR’s partner “Spravedlivost” (Justice). Upon hearing about their case, Matlyuba Teshebayeva, a lawyer with Spravedlivost, decided to bring it to the attention of the project’s Advisory Council.

The Advisory Council approved Teshebayeva to take on the case of Chukur-Kishtak. She researched a number of documents, including maps from the architectural department, Kyrgyz land code and its analyses. As a result, she was able to prove that the claim of the 28 residents of Churkur-Kishtak village must be satisfied legally.

UNHCR’s project on “Building trust and confidence among people, communities and authorities” is aimed at increasing trust among communities and between individuals and authorities. The project is funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund and focuses on conflict sensitivity and effective problem solving with local self-government structures.