Mapping Central Asia: Towards Healthier Information Ecosystems

Often, sadly, it doesn’t.
And even when it does, it may be diluted, manipulated, or distorted by the time it reaches them.
As part of the European Union-funded AGILE project, CFI in 2025 supported an Information Environment Mapping (IEM) exercise to examine how various communities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan access and use information in difficult and fast-changing media environments.

The findings offer a snapshot of how information travels across communities in the region, how different actors help or disrupt access to useful information, and how projects like AGILE can help make local information ecosystems healthier and more resilient.
Here are five things we learned about Central Asia’s information environment:

1.Practical information is often hardest to access. Existing systems require support

Scattered posts, neglected websites and word-of-mouth advice — this is often how people in Central Asia obtain crucial information such as healthcare services or employment opportunities.
Digital services and official information portals have expanded in recent years, but they do not always reach the communities who need them most. Even when services exist online, many users feel their efforts to use them go unsupported.
In one interview, a single mother from Kyrgyzstan said she could not use the Tunduk government portal to access paid maternity leave because I don’t know where to click.
In Uzbekistan, respondents said informal networks of “relatives and friends” remain the most important way to access well-paid jobs, despite the emergence of online resources, leaving those without connections at a disadvantage.
Throughout the region, people with weaker internet access, poor digital literacy, and limited language options struggle disproportionately to access reliable information.

AGILE will make important information more accessible for vulnerable communities across the region through responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies.

2.Media and civil society work under pressure. They still connect people to information

Journalists and civil society groups across Central Asia often operate in difficult conditions.
Restrictive laws, scrutiny of funding, and a shrinking space for public debate place media outlets and activists under legal and political pressure, while encouraging self-censorship.
Requests for information from state bodies are sometimes ignored entirely, while press briefings can produce “formal and uninformative” responses, one journalist from a Central Asian country complained.
Despite these constraints, reporters and civil society organizations remain essential sources of reliable information for the public and the communities they represent.
Strengthening their role often means creating opportunities for collaboration and practical skill-building.

AGILE will bring together journalists, civic groups, and digital creators to share knowledge and collaborate on projects relevant to communities.

3.Marginalized communities live at the sharp end of information deficits. They need support

Across Central Asia, many communities are overlooked in media and official communications.
This means their concerns — from access to healthcare to social inclusion— often receive little public attention.
Some communities, including LGBTQI+ groups in certain countries, are forced to limit public communications for safety, reducing visibility of real-life experiences.
Experts in several countries highlighted the information isolation experienced by women in conservative environments, who tend to marry at a young age, as an example.
They have no information about medical check-ups. For example, they know nothing about breast cancer, an expert from Uzbekistan said.
Ethnic minorities face similar challenges. In several countries, communities affected by past conflict or political crackdowns lack safe platforms to share experiences or raise concerns affecting their daily lives.

AGILE will support workshops designed specifically for marginalized groups to identify the information they need most and collaborate with journalists to produce human-led stories and guidance on covering sensitive issues safely and responsibly.

4.Language barriers limit access. Better local content can combat foreign propaganda

Central Asia is linguistically diverse, yet much of the information circulating in media and online appears in only one or two dominant languages in each country.
Minority languages typically receive limited coverage and are not used in official communications, risking alienation.
In Kyrgyzstan, one participant noted how an intercommunal conflict that took place more than 15 years ago led to the de facto disappearance of minority Uzbek language programming in the media space.
In Tajikistan, the state language Tajik dominates local content. But the bureaucratic tone of Tajik state media reports and their generally unengaging content encourages even Tajik-speaking viewers to prefer Russian news channels, according to one participant, leaving local communities vulnerable to foreign propaganda.
This situation affects the other countries in the region to greater or lesser extent, creating a need for better quality content in the official state languages of Central Asia as well as those languages that are spoken by minorities in the region.

AGILE’s activities will support content production across languages and address external threats to the region’s fragile information environment.

5.Rumours move quickly online. Rumor-bunking is becoming more important

Across Central Asia, more people now encounter information through short videos, social media posts, and messaging apps.
These faster formats can help reliable information spread quickly, but they can also accelerate the circulation of rumours and misinformation.
While fact-checking initiatives exist in several countries, many journalists and community communicators lack the tools needed to respond rapidly when misinformation spreads.
In Kazakhstan, respondents reported that coordinated disinformation campaigns frequently spread misleading narratives about external actors, affecting trust in official information. Similar networks also spread information during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that vaccines altered DNA.

AGILE’s activities will bolster regional fact-checking networks while supporting access to verified information through short-form content production and exciting new technological initiatives.

For a deeper look at Central Asia’s information landscape, the key insights from the mapping, and practical recommendations, read the short summary or the full report.

Download AGILE information mapping
Download AGILE information mapping (Summary).
Download AGILE information mapping (Russian summary).