DUSHANBE, November 16, 2015, Asia-Plus — Prince Hussain Aga Khan, son of His Highness the Aga Khan, arrived in Dushanbe on November 15 for a three-day working visit, according to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Tajikistan.
During his visit, Prince Hussain will be attending the Workshop on the establishment of the new agency for Habitat – Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) in Dushanbe.
Prince Hussain Aga Khan is the third child and second son of His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and the Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Prince Hussain graduated from Williams College (USA) with a Bachelor of Arts degree and has a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) where his main area of study was Economic and Political Development with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa.
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH)’s main functions are to ensure that communities live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters, that these settings are conducive for developing livelihood opportunities, providing access to social and financial services and to ensure that communities are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response. The initial geographical focus of AKAH is on Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Aga Khan Development Network brings together individual agencies that operate in a range of areas – from economic development, education and rural development to cultural revitalization, health care and financial services. Together these agencies collaborate towards a common goal – to build institutions and programs that can respond to the contemporary challenges and opportunities of social, economic and cultural growth in Tajikistan.
Operating in Tajikistan since 1992, AKDN draws on a strong base of experience in working with mountain societies. It works in all regions of the country and employs over 3,500 people through its operations and investments.
