DUSHANBE, January 22, 2013, Asia-Plus — The 15th Network Meeting of Stakeholder Organizations on Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) will be held at the conference hall of the Tojikiston Hotel in Dushanbe on January 24, press release issued by TajWSS project said.
2013 was declared as the “International Year of Water Collaboration” in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 65/154, adopted on December 21, 2012. The initiative was proposed by Tajik Emomali Rahmon during the Fifth World Water Forum, held in Istanbul in March 2009. As part of the international efforts to celebrate the International Year of Water Cooperation, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan will be hosting an International High Level Water Forum, planned for August 2013.
During the 15th Network Meeting of Stakeholder Organizations on Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation, Members will have the chance to discuss this event and provide their ideas, feedback and suggestions.
Following the release of the New Tax Code of the Republic of Tajikistan, on September 17, 2012, TajWSS and its partners, conducted a comparative analysis of the proposed recommendations developed by the Network Thematic Working Group. The recommendations were subsequently approved by the Inter-ministerial Coordination Council on drinking water (IMCC) and forwarded to the governmental working group responsible for reviewing Tajikistan’s Tax Code. The recommendations are aimed at reducing the tax burden for drinking WSS operators, especially small rural community-based operators. The presentation will cover the changes made to the New Tax Code and their affect on future developments for the drinking water sub-sector.
Tajik Technical University is an active member of the Network. Recently the TajWSS project was approached by the university regarding the provision of technical support and capacity development for young water specialists who are advanced students enrolled in the Engineering faculty. A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Oxfam, Tajik Technical University and the “Foundation to Support Civil Initiatives.” The MoU reportedly covers cooperation such as Water Quality Monitoring of TajWSS project locations and technical support and capacity development that will be provided by the TajWSS project and its partners, to the young specialists. Students of Tajik Technical University will share their vision for innovative monitoring tools and will have the opportunity to consult and be consulted by experienced specialists active in the sub-sector.
Network meetings provide a platform for stakeholder organizations to address issues of sustainability and effectiveness, concerning the rural WS&S sub-sector of Tajikistan, through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned. This time the floor will be given to the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a project of the Aga Khan Foundation Tajikistan, to present and introduce their new project, “Improving Water Supply Systems and Hygiene Practices in Mountain Regions of Tajikistan.”
