DUSHANBE, July 10, Asia-Plus — The first two-day European Union (EU)-Tajikistan Civil Society Seminar on Human Rights is opening in Hotel Mercury in Dushanbe today.
Organized by the Delegation of the European Commission in Tajikistan and prepared with close partnership of the Government of Tajikistan, the seminar is bringing together judges, lawyers, academics and NGO representatives from Tajikistan and from 12 European states as well as the representatives of the authorities of Tajikistan, the European Union and other international organizations.
According to the Delegation of the European Commission in Tajikistan, the seminar is devoted to the topic of “The Right to a Fair Trial and Independence of Judiciary.”
This seminar complements the official Human Rights Dialogue between the European Union and Tajikistan, which held its first meeting in October 2008. On that occasion, both sides confirmed the importance of having open, constructive and result-oriented dialogue on human rights.
The new EU Strategy for Central Asia aims to strengthen ties between the European Union and its Central Asian partners. It has doubled European Commission assistance to the region to €750 million for 2007-2013. Tajikistan gets the main share of bilateral assistance (€66 million for 2007-2010) in support to sector programs, technical assistance and grants. It focuses on social protection, health and private sector development, underpinned by public finance management. Projects aimed at enhancing living standards continue. Tajikistan also receives regional and thematic assistance in areas like border management and drug control (BOMCA/CADAP), education (TEMPUS, Erasmus Mundus), water / environment, migration, human rights and democracy (EIDHR), non-State actors (NSA) and SME development (CA-Invest). The total value of EC assistance disbursed to Tajikistan since 1992 is over €500 million.
