DUSHANBE, November 13, 2011, Asia-Plus — The first session of Inter-Ministerial Coordination Council on drinking water supply (IMCC) took place at the Kokhi Vahdat State Complex in Dushanbe on November 11, according to the UNDP CO Tajikistan.
Organized by the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (LRWR), the meeting brought together representatives from government ministries and agencies, donor agencies and financial institutions involved in the development of the water supply and sanitation sector.
The objective of the first IMCC session was to introduce the mission, aims and objectives of the Council, identify key priorities in the mid and long term perspective, as well as review and discuss a series of policy documents drafted to improve the current policy environment in drinking water supply and sanitation sector development.
Specifically, the members of the IMCC discussed the current state policy and governance in the sector, reviewed a number of policy recommendations and changes to Tajikistan’s laws concerning ownership and operational management rights, discussed the draft methodology for inventory of drinking water supply and sanitation systems, as well as the draft manual for undergoing administrative procedures for obtaining construction permit in the sphere of drinking water supply and sanitation.
As noted by Mr. Shuhrat Igamberdiyev, National Project Officer for “Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation” Project (TajWSS) – “following the given session, the IMCC members hope to finalize the discussed policy briefs and drafts, and propose them to the Government of Tajikistan for further deliberations.”
The Inter-Ministerial Coordination Council was established by the initiative of the LRWR and through support of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with SDC funded “Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation” project (TajWSS) implemented by the UNDP and Oxfam in Tajikistan.
The IMCC is a permanent and coordinating body, aimed to assist in design and implementation of a unified state policy on development of drinking water supply and sanitation in Tajikistan, as well as to carry out results monitoring for implementation of the RT Law “On Drinking Water and Water Supply” and other programs and strategies endorsed by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The IMCC is chaired by the Minister for Land Reclamation and Water Resources and comprised of representatives from various ministries and agencies such as President’s Executive Office, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Finance, Directorate “Tojikobdehot” of LRWR, State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management, Committee for Environmental Protection, Agency for Construction and Architecture, Main Geology Directorate, State Unitary Enterprise “Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali” (the state holding company for public utilities), and others.
“Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation” Project (TajWSS) is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Oxfam in partnership with UNDP in Tajikistan. TajWSS was launched in June 2009 and is aimed to create favorable conditions for rural communities to access clean drinking water, as well as developing and strengthening water supply sector sustainability.
