DUSHANBE, November 25, 2008, Asia-Plus — The Conference “Dialogue in Action: The Tajikistan Experience” is organized in Dushanbe today in frames of the Swiss-funded Tajikistan Dialogue Project, press release issued by SDC said.
The Project funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Program for the Study of International Organizations of the Graduate Institute of International Studies since October 2002 seeks to enhance cooperation between representatives of the secular government and the religious sphere.
The Conference will touch upon the challenges of peaceful co-existence of secular and religious societies through the three Working Groups established within the Project. These Working Groups tackle the issues of religious education through development of a uniform pilot curriculum for religious schools in Tajikistan, address the law, religion and politics through an agreed list of recommendations aimed at improving the “Law on Religion”, and focus on enhancing constructive interaction between civil servants and religious organizations and figures through the partnership with the Civil Servants Training Institute.
The Conference will also present the book “Dialogue in Action: The Tajikistan Experience” created by a dedicated team of professionals reflecting the history of the Project, its progress and plans for the future.
The role of Switzerland in funding and implementation of the project has been well founded by the interest in consolidating the peace process in Tajikistan, which is a logical rationale for the Swiss engagement in multifaceted cooperation with Tajikistan. Besides, the Tajikistan example of peace-building can be further reinforced and become a learning experience for different contexts in the region and countries facing similar challenges.
