A ceremony was held yesterday 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 Center (IMAC).
The WFP Dushanbe office says the equipment, worth US$22,000, was purchased using funding from the Government of the Russian Federation.
IMAC – part of the government’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) – conducts risk assessments and collects, analyses and disseminates data on natural disasters. WFP, which has been working in Tajikistan since 1993, supports the CES 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 CES 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 CES signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 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 reportedly contributed a total of US$77.5 million in support of WFP’s food assistance and capacity strengthening programs in Tajikistan.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
