DUSHANBE, June 7, Asia-Plus — Presentation of a grant program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CID) for supporting the period of transition to market economy and consolidation of democratic institutions in Central Asia was held in an office of Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) in Dushanbe Friday evening.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Mr. Nabisher Jurayev, program officer, EFCA Tajikistan, said that the event was dedicated to promote development of civil society in Tajikistan. According to him, the CID program provides for supporting the following directions: reduction of poverty; sustainable development, equal opportunities for men and women; environmental protection; protection of child’s rights; and development of organization potential.
Issues related to the possibility of establishment of the NGO support center promoting solution of problems facing NGOs were discussed on the sidelines of the presentation. They also discussed ways of lobbing for NGOs’ interests in social and economic spheres as well as creating favorable conditions for effective cooperation between the interested sides.
Eurasia Foundation opened an office in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 1996 to provide local technical assistance and open-door grant making. As a part of Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA), the Tajikistan office works locally to support private enterprise, engage citizens in civil society, improve links between higher education institutions and local businesses and promote responsive local government.
EFCA also works to provide access to independent media throughout remote areas of the country through a Regional Correspondents’ Network. Seven correspondents from remote areas of the republic were selected through a competitive process to participate in an intensive course in international standards of reporting. Additionally, EFCA runs cross-border programs to boost cooperation between NGOs in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Because border issues must be solved jointly, EFCA supports a project on border cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan to foster the development of small- and mid-sized business in southern Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan.
