Assistance Provided to 20 Local NGOs and International Organizations 

Vsevolod Ovcharenko, Legal Consultant for Kazakhstan, aided twenty [24 consultations for 20 

different entities] local and international NGOs in resolving legal questions and issues.  Issues ranged 

from registration and taxation to dissolution and labor relations.  Consultations were provided to such 

organizations and institutions as OSCE, USAID, US Embassy, IREX, Counterpart International, and 

local NGOs Zhalgas, Diabetic Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan (DARK), Special Olympics 

Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Debate Center, Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan, IDC, CAID, 

several associations of handicapped people and others. Through these consultations ICNL has been 

able to identify those areas of law that prove most difficult for NGOs. Follow on projects are to 

include workshops on common questions of NGOs and single page fact sheets for NGOs. 

Publications  

ICNL's Kazakhstan office arranged for the publication of the booklet Use of the Term  NGO : Legal 

Theory and Legislation of Foreign Countries (500 copies).    

Kyrgyzstan 

Implementation of the Newly Adopted Tax Code 

After more than two years of ICNL technical assistance, on March 8, 2003, Kyrgyz President Askar 

Akayev signed the Law on Amendments to the Tax Code.  The new tax code provisions increase 

allowable deductions for local donors from 2% to 5 %, provide new VAT exemptions for charitable 

organizations, and eliminate previously existing restrictions on the ability of NGOs to claim tax 

exemptions for income gained from humanitarian aid, grants, charitable donations, membership and 

entry fees, and as endowments. ICNL is now working to ensure appropriate implementation of this 

law in cooperation with government and civil society actors.  

As a part of the on going technical assistance to the drafters of the Instructions, with the support of 

Open Society Institute and Counterpart International, and the cooperation of Bearing Point (formerly 

known as Barents Group), ICNL organized a workshop for government officials, deputies, and NGO 

legal specialists to work on developing a Practical Guide to the recently adopted tax code.  This 

Practical Guide, once approved by the Ministry of Finance, would be used as an official guide 

assisting with implementation of newly adopted amendments to broad range of users, including 

lawyers, NGOs, and tax officials The project has the approval and participation of the Ministry of 

Finance and Revenues' Committee.  It is expected that the Practical Guide to Taxation of NGOs in 

Kyrgyzstan will be published in mid to late 2003. 

Education and Training on the Newly Adopted Tax Code for NGOs 

In April ICNL Legal Consultant held a special legal session for the leaders of Civil Society Support 

Centers with the main purpose of explaining the substance of newly adopted tax amendments. During 

the training participants asked ICNL to develop educational materials and to provide technical 

assistance on the issue of implementation of the newly adopted Law  On tariff of social insurance 

fees for 2003." In response, ICNL prepared a review/survey of the Law  On tariff of social insurance 

fees for 2003.   This review was made available to interested NGOs. 

Legal Drafting and Participatory Practice Seminars Sponsored by the European Union 

ICNL participated in the European Union EuropeAid project,  Support for the Centre for 

Parliamentarism and Legislative Drafting under the Legislative Assembly of the Kyrgyz Republic.   

In early May, ICNL Legal Consultant, Mr. Khvan, worked in cooperation with this project to conduct 

a special session on the issue of legislative drafting techniques for the Young Lawyers Association. 

And, on May 28, 2003, ICNL Program Director for Central Asia, Mr. Borrup, participated in the 

seminar on participatory practices and gave a speech outlining a framework for participatory 

practices.  ICNL Legal Consultant for Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Khvan, also made a short presentation on 

current practices in Kyrgyzstan. 

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