The "Francophonie Week" is the festival of the French language and cultures of the French-speaking countries, which is celebrated in the middle of March across the world. The organizers and partners have prepared a program for the broad public, which consists of 16 offline events and activities and 3 online webinars. This year, the festival will centre around questions on how to protect our planet and the environment.

French is the fifth language spoken in the world, the third language for business, used by more than 300 million people on five continents, and also is known as the language of diplomacy. 88 countries are members of the International Organization of Francophonie, in 29 of which French is the official language.

The Francophonie Week will be launched in Bishkek on March 23 with a public screening of the movie "Legacy / Notre Héritage" by the famous French photograph and environmentalist Yann-Arthus Bertrand, followed by an exchange with the latter, starting at 18:00 in Ala-Too Cinema (free entrance).  

The detailed program is presented below.

• French Alliance in Bishkek: Instagram;  Facebook
• French Embassy Kyrgyzstan: webpage; Facebook
• Swiss Embassy Kyrgyzstan: Instagram; Facebook

In Kyrgyzstan, the noncommunicable diseases are the main cause of disability, morbidity, and premature mortality. According to the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2020, cardiovascular diseases were a major reason of mortality, making up 52% of all death cases in the country, while cancer occupied second place (10.8%) followed by respiratory diseases (6.9%). Unhealthy diet (in particular, high salt intake, insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables), tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and lack of physical activity are the most common preventable risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. 

Since 2018, the Swiss project called "Effective Management and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in Kyrgyzstan" has been strengthening the primary health care system and promoting healthier lifestyle of people. To continue this support in Kyrgyzstan, the Swiss Government has allocated additional funding for more than CHF 5 million to phase II of the project. 

With the continued support of the Ministry of Health the work will be implemented by a consortium of organizations composed of Public Association "Healthy Future" (Kyrgyzstan), "GFA Consulting Group GmbH" (Germany), and "Euro Health Group" (Denmark).

During 4 years, the project will be covering Osh, Jalal-Abad, Batken regions of Kyrgyzstan as well as Osh and Bishkek cities.