DUSHANBE, April 19, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Rushdi Dehot (Rural Development) public association and 10 rural legal assistance centers will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishment of the rural development network, Shabakai Rushdi Dehot, today.
Ms. Nigora Astanova, public affairs officer, Rushdi Dehot, told Asia-Plus today that the Shabakai Rushdi Dehot is dedicated to provide legal assistance to farmers regarding land issues and it functions in Khatlon and Sughd provinces as well as districts subordinate to the center.
According to her, the following public associations will join the rural development network: Arbitrazh, Inis, Madadgor, Support and Cooperation Center, Umedbakhsh, Payvandi Shahrvandi, Zan va Jomea (Woman and Society), Ilhom, Bonuvoni Fardo and Shahnoza.
“The Shabakai Rushdi Dehot will be established in the framework of the Network of Rural Aid Centers (NetLAC) Project, which is implemented by Helvetas (Switzerland) in cooperation with the Rushd Dehot public association under financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC),” Astanova noted.
According to Helvetas, the goal of the NetLAC Project is to protect the rights of the rural population affected by the agrarian sector reform through a network of legal assistance centers and strategic partnerships aimed at improving legal awareness among right holders and duty bearers. The Project is designed to improve the quality, consistency, and accessibility of legal aid services available to the rural population, particularly farmers, as well enhance the awareness of local administrative officials and the judiciary about people’s rights – and their own duties – in the agrarian reform process. The NetLAC Project builds upon past efforts by a number of donors to establish legal aid centers to protect and promote the rights of the rural population in the course of ongoing agrarian and land reform.
The project consists of thee main components: 1) the first component is to strengthen the capacity of the Rural Development Network (RDN) itself, as well as its member Legal Aid Centers (LACs), including the introduction of standardized case management practices and high quality legal in formation materials and training programs; 2) the second component raises awareness and provide relevant information on land and farming rights to administrative and judicial actors, so as to reduce the incidence of rights’ violations and ensure the promotion of effective remedies and protection of rights; and 3) the third component links the developments, experience, and data gained in the other components to the national policymaking level, informing donor and government action in order to enhance the regulatory framework for agrarian reform.
A Communication strategy is integrated into each of the above components in such a manner that the rural populace and the community will be provided with updated information on land reform and NetLAC activities.
