One Village One Product (OVOP) movement spreading across Central Asia presented at the first Summit of "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue
Day：2026.01.08
event ｜
The first-ever Summit of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue (CA+JAD) since the launch of the Dialogue framework in 2004 was held in Tokyo on December 20, 2025. At the Summit, the “Tokyo Declaration,” which includes the “CA+JAD Tokyo Initiative” aimed at supporting the industrial advancement and diversification of the five Central Asian countries, was adopted.
As part of the ODA project showcase at this historic Summit venue, an exhibition booth was set up to display products from “One Village One Product (OVOP) ’projects, which started in Kyrgyz Republic and have since expanded to other Central Asian countries. The booth featured a variety of unique items made from local resources, such as white honey and wool felt products from Kyrgyz Republic and other Central Asian nations. Positioned prominently for the attending leaders, JICA’s Director General of East and Central Asia and the Caucasus Department, Mr. Hirosawa, explained the products and the achievements of past cooperation to President Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyz Republic faced economic stagnation due to a series of political upheavals, leading many people to seek work abroad and causing the decline of local communities and increasing poverty levels. In response, the OVOP Project was launched in 2007 to help revitalize the region and rebuild communities by creating specialty products using local resources unique to the mountainous country.
Alongside continuous product development, the project worked from scratch to establish a sustainable operational mechanism. This led to the creation of “OVOP+1,” a local public union in Kyrgyz Republic that manages everything from product development and quality control to shop operations and securing distribution networks, connecting producers with consumers and enabling the steady supply of high-quality products to the market.
Moreover, OVOP production can be carried out locally without relying on migrant work and contributed to job creation, improved livelihoods for rural communities, and income opportunities for women. Today, more than 3,000 producers are registered, and exports have expanded to countries such as Japan, the United States, France, and Norway.
In 2022, OVOP Project had grown to be adopted as a national project in Kyrgyz Republic. Its success has attracted government officials and business leaders not only from Central Asia but also from the Caucasus region, who visit to learn from example in Kyrgyz Republic. The achievements and know-how developed in Kyrgyz Republic are being shared and extended to neighboring countries, with expectations for further contributions to the promotion of local industries across the region.
The Summit provided an opportunity to showcase the OVOP Project to the leaders of Central Asian countries through its products . Their interest in this Project was high, and the leaders at the Summit concurred on the collaboration on OVOP movement, raising expectations for JICA’s contributions to expand even further.
Exhibition booth of OVOP Project set up inside the venue of the Summit
President Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic receiving an explanation about products
Products from Kyrgyz Republic
Products from Tajikistan
Products from Kazakhstan
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