DUSHANBE, July 1, 2008, Asia-Plus — A series of roundtable meetings were held at the Guest House Poytakht from June 25 to June 28 to discuss the results of the first national NGOs forum that was held in Dushanbe on May 14-15 this year.
Shamsiddin Karimov, director of the Tajikistan Development Foundation, which was initiator of the meetings, said that more than 80 representatives of the state institutions, business circles and NGOs had attended those meetings. “They had an opportunity to meet with delegates of the forum and familiarize themselves with the national program for development of NGOs in the Tajikistan and the code of the main principles of activities of NGOs in Tajikistan that had been adopted at the forum,” Karimov said.
We will recall that the forum, staged by Tajikistan Development Foundation under financial support of the Civil Society Program of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), brought together more than 40 delegates from all regions of the country. The forum participants are discussing the national program for development of NGOs in Tajikistan and the code of the main principles of activities of NGOs in the country. These documents have been worked out within the framework of long- and medium-term programs of the government such as national development strategy for 2006-2015 and the poverty reduction strategy for 2006-2008 and are dedicated to provide transparency of authorities’ activities and create conditions for eradicating corruption, lawlessness and abuse of office, as well as promote improvement of living conditions of the population in Tajikistan and observance of rights and freedoms of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.
To consolidate efforts of NGOs and community for solution of the most important political, economic and social issues the forum participants decided to set up the National Association of NGOs of Tajikistan.
“The roundtable meetings participants discussed ways of implementation of this decision and mechanisms of using potentials of association, which is being established,” Karimov said, noting that similar meetings will be held in other regions as well.
