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NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The Government session on November 6 chaired by Kazakhstan Prime Minister Askar Mamin reviewed the implementation of the Aul – El Besіgi rural development project, the prime minister’s press service reported. Continue reading
KHUJAND, Tajikistan (TCA) — The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, says it is providing a $2.5 million loan in local currency to LLC MDO Arvand, one of Tajikistan's leading microfinance institutions, as part of an effort to support home ownership and drive economic growth in the Central Asian country. Continue reading
BOKHTAR, Tajikistan (TCA) — Over 400,000 people in rural Tajikistan will gain access to clean drinking water and around 100,000 people, mostly children, will benefit from better sanitation facilities and hygiene training, thanks to the World Bank-financed Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project, launched on September 25 in Bokhtar, the Bank said. The launch ceremony was attended by Yusuf Majidi, Tajik Deputy Minister of Finance, Khairullo Amonullo, Deputy Governor of Khatlon region, Jamshed Tabarzoda, General Director of the State Unitary Enterprise "Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali", Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan, and representatives of local governments, development institutions, civil society, media, and beneficiary communities. “Increasing access to safe water and quality sanitation services for the population is the highest priority for the Government of Tajikistan,” said Jamshed Tabarzoda, General Director of SUE KMK. “We look forward to continuing our strong collaboration with the World Bank to advance this important agenda for the long-term health, well-being and prosperity of people residing in the selected districts.” The project, implemented with a $58 million grant, will focus on helping communities in the southern Khatlon region with the highest levels of poverty and inadequate access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions, specifically Vakhsh, Levakand (Sarband), Kushoniyon (Bokhtar), Dusti (Jilikul), Balkhi (Rumi), Jayhun (Qumsangir) and Vose. “Only one in three households living in rural Tajikistan have access to running water, disproportionately affecting women and children and exposing them to elevated health risks from diarrhea to malnutrition and stunting,” said Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan. “To improve health, education, and social outcomes, the World Bank will support efforts to strengthen critical infrastructure and the institutional architecture.” The project will support ongoing water-sector reforms by strengthening water utilities in target districts. The branches of the State Unitary Enterprise "Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali" will be restructured and strengthened to improve the quality of its service delivery. And, to increase access to water and sanitation services countrywide, the project will support the development of the State Program on Drinking Water Supply and Wastewater for the period 2021–30. In partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Science of Tajikistan, the project will promote the adoption of improved hygiene practices. Sanitation facilities in about 200 schools and health clinics will also be constructed or rehabilitated. Grants will be provided to about 1,000 of the poorest households to help improve sanitation conditions in their homes. Over the next five years, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project will be implemented by the State Unitary Enterprise "Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali" and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, through the Local Infrastructure Development Project Management Unit under the Government of Tajikistan.
DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Commission has announced a €59 million support program to boost rural development in Tajikistan. Agriculture contributes to about one quarter of the country’s GDP and close to three quarters of the population live in rural areas. Yet the rural economy suffers from structural challenges, notably in the areas of natural resource management and business activity, the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan said on August 16. Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica said: “With this new €59 million investment we will help Tajikistan’s rural communities to use natural resources in a sustainable way and improve their resilience to extreme climatic conditions. This will benefit the communities themselves and all of us”. In addition, the EU will help to enhance business competitiveness, strengthen the management of natural resources, and promote sustainable and efficient use of water. The newly approved program, Rural Development Programme II, builds on past EU efforts in the sector and merges the ongoing EU programs Rural Development Programme I and Enhancing Competitiveness of Tajik Agribusiness Programme. The former program has demonstrated important reforms in natural resource management, livelihoods and job creation. For instance, in the area of irrigation rehabilitation and river basin management, social mobilization activities resulted in temporary job opportunities for 1,992 beneficiaries, of which 618 are women. The latter program has resulted in increased rural investment. Through the project and in collaboration with local banks, 74 loans were disbursed in the farming sector, accompanied by a supply of equipment for food safety and quality certification, now being operated in six laboratories in Tajikistan. The newly approved program will: - enhance business competitiveness by supporting an equal number of female and male farmers and agro-processors in business management/planning, marketing strategies and credit applications.- strengthen the management of natural resources by identifying and implementing Disaster Risk Reduction measures in coordination with the local communities and authorities.- promote sustainable and efficient use of water through the supply and instalment of measurement equipment and software, that will enable modelling and management of water flows in basins in the targeted provinces. The measures will be realized in cooperation with the German development agency Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the World Bank, and other organizations. EU-Tajikistan relations date back to 1991, when the European Commission launched the Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) programme. Tajikistan is the biggest recipient of bilateral assistance in Central Asia. EU bilateral development assistance has increased from around €20 million annually in the early 2000s to around €33 million annually today. The current cycle’s funds for Tajikistan focus on improving education, health and rural development, as well as boosting investment.
DUSHANBE (TCA) — Empowering, motivating and involving women in the homestay tourism business was the focus of a three-day training course for 15 women from remote areas of Tajikistan, which concluded on July 10 in Dushanbe. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — Two projects that aim to address fragility risks and increase social resilience in Tajikistan’s vulnerable regions were approved on June 20 by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. The grant financing of $30 million for the Rural Economy Development Project and $37 million for the Socio-Economic Resilience Strengthening Project were allocated from the International Development Association’s (IDA) Risk Mitigation Regime. The projects will be implemented in Tajikistan’s southern Khatlon region and eastern Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), which both border Afghanistan. Continue reading
