DUSHANBE, October 2, 2012, Asia-Plus — An information campaign will be carried out within the next three months in Tajikistan to raise awareness of local farmers and representatives of local authorities of changes and addenda made to the country’s land code.
According to press release issued by HELVETAS Tajikistan, the campaign will be carried out by the Rural Protection and Support Network.
HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is carrying out this campaign in coordination with the USAID Land Reform Project.
Elaine Conkievich, Country Director of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation in Tajikistan, says, “Through this campaign, we strive to inform the main actors – dehkans and local authorities on amendments to the Land Code. The main tool of the campaign is open information sessions which will provide updates to the Code and provides a forum to discuss key points of the new Land Code. A special brochure has been prepared on amendments to the Land Code and this will be distributed throughout the country.”
“This is not a mere public awareness campaign. It is a series of sessions aimed at achieving the key goal – land access and poverty reduction. All of us should realize that the law can only work for us if we know and apply it properly,” – said Qurbonali Navrouzov, the Network Coordinator.
The new Land Code further strengthens the legal framework for the land use. In general, the amendments to the Land Code expand the rights, conditions and opportunities of farmers for efficient use of land, at the same contributing to further successful implementation of land reform in Tajikistan.
HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is one of the most experienced and largest development organizations in Switzerland. As a politically and denominationally neutral association, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is supported by over 100,000 members and sponsors, as well as 12 regional groups of volunteers. Over 1,200 local and 60 international employees are engaged in 30 partner countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
HELVETAS, Swiss Association for International Cooperation was founded in 1955 as the first private organization for development co-operation in Switzerland. Helvetas is a denominationally and politically independent association, supported by approximately 38’000 members, more than 40’000 sponsors and 15 regional volunteer groups.
HELVETAS in Tajikistan implements the following projects: 1) Access to Justice and Judicial Reform (AJJR); 2) Network of Rural Legal Aid Centers (NetLAC); 3) Local Market Development (LMD); 4) Organic Value Chain Development (OVCD); and 5) Efficient water use (SEP) – pilot project.
