DUSHANBE, May 30, 2009, Asia-Plus – The present financial-and-economic shock, energy and food crisis as well natural disasters that have become more frequent are diverting major part of Tajikistan’s resources intended for alleviating poverty, Ambassador Sirojiddin Aslov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations, has announced at a session of the UNDP Executive Board at the UN Headquarters, the UN News Center (in Russian) reported on May 29.
On May 28, the session participants endorsed the UNDP country program for Tajikistan (2010-2015). Aslov noted that the UN activity in Tajikistan was aimed at supporting the government’s efforts to solve socioeconomic problems as well as supporting Tajikistan’s transition to the socially orientated market economy.
He expressed gratitude to UNDP for including measures on supporting implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reduction of poverty, fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases as well as overcoming financial and energy crises and combating natural disasters in Tajikistan into the program.
Tajikistan’s representative drew attention of the session participants to problems facing the country’s agrarian sector and pointed out an importance of international cooperation for strengthening potentials of the state institutions government to solve problems caused by the global financial crisis and economic downturn.
The UNDP country program 2010-2015 aims to achieve the objectives set out in the National Development Strategy of Tajikistan for the period up to 2015 in accordance with the MDGs. The promotion of national development policies and programs will be undertaken through a combination of policy support for the MDGs and capacity development support for service delivery, strategic planning, and resource mobilization. Building on comparative advantages, program strengths and lessons learned from previous interventions, in alignment with the UNDP Strategic Plan, UNDP will focus its interventions on the areas of (a) Poverty Reduction and Achievement of MDGs, (b) Reducing burden of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, (c) Good Governance, (d) Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and (e) Environment and Sustainable Development. Particular attention will be paid to gender equality as a cross-cutting issue to ensure that gender is appropriately integrated into all program interventions of UNDP and is promoted by key implementing partners including the Government of Tajikistan. The key findings and recommendations from Central Asian Regional Risk Assessment report prepared in 2008-2009 will lay the foundation for bridging the gap between the humanitarian response and longer term development programming. This will be taken into account in all CPD outcomes.
