DUSHANBE, August 12, 2016, Asia-Plus — U.S. Ambassador Elisabeth to Tajikistan Millard and Chairperson of the Committee for Women’s and Family Affairs at the Government of Tajikistan Idiqul Qosimzoda yesterday welcomed participants of the Women and Water Forum.
The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe says the forum brought together more than 120 partners and beneficiaries of USAID’s Local Governance Project (LGP) to discuss how rural women can and should take part in the decision making process regarding the supply and management of drinking water.
They also debated gender policy and participation of neighborhood committees in relation to delivery and management of water infrastructure projects.
As a result of plenary discussions and productive afternoon sessions, participants unanimously adopted a resolution with a number of recommendations, which will contribute to strengthening gender equality in water policy and increasing capacity and accountability of national and sub-national governments to supply clean drinking water.
The conference participants included officials of the Committee of Women and Family Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan, the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan and Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, among others.
The USAID Local Governance Project focuses on enhancing capacity of local governments to provide improved social services, particularly clean drinking water, and it strengthens citizen participation in local government decision-making. To date, USAID LGP has installed 12 drinking water systems across Tajikistan, giving more than 33,000 people access to clean drinking water.
The USAID Local Governance Project is one of many assistance projects supported by the American people through USAID. Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $1 billion in programs that support Tajikistan’s security, democratic institutions, social sector, and economic growth.
