DUSHANBE (TCA) — A ceremony was held to mark the handover by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) of the Information Technology (IT) equipment to strengthen the capacity of Tajikistan’s Information Management and Analytical Centre (IMAC). The equipment, worth US $22,000, was purchased using funding from the Government of the Russian Federation, the WFP said on October 26.
IMAC – part of the government’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoES) – conducts risk assessments and collects, analyses and disseminates data on natural disasters. WFP, which has been working in Tajikistan since 1993, supports the CoES in responding to emergencies and in providing it with technical and financial support to strengthen emergency preparedness and response mechanisms.
“The IT equipment will really help the CoES to be prepared and respond efficiently to natural disasters in the country,” said WFP Country Director Paolo Mattei. “We’ll continue to support the government with disaster response and risk reduction, while also assisting the most vulnerable and food insecure people in Tajikistan.”
In May, WFP Tajikistan and the CoES signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration in the areas of emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
The Government of the Russian Federation is the main donor to WFP’s operations in Tajikistan. Since 2005, the Russian Federation has contributed a total of US$77.5 million in support of WFP’s food assistance and capacity strengthening programmes in Tajikistan.
