On Wednesday November 29, Mr. Hajime Kitaoka, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Tajikistan, together with General Rustam Nazarzoda, Chairman of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) and the heads of CES’s branches in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Sughd and Khatlon provinces a well as districts subordinate to the center participated in the handover ceremony of “The Projects for Provision of Snow Removal Machines to Tajikistan” implemented by the Government of Japan under the scheme of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
During the ceremony the representatives of the branches of the Committee commemorated the successful completion of the projects with the total budget amounted to US$401,820, according to Japan’s Embassy in Dushanbe.
The projects have been initiated after heavy snow falls occurred last winter in Tajikistan which resulted in numerous avalanches, blockages of roads and human loss. Consequently, four snow removal machines were provided to the regions of Tajikistan. With the acquisitions of the machinery, the CES will be able to liquidate consequences of avalanches and make recovery of the road transport quicker.
During the ceremony, Mr. Hajime Kitaoka reportedly extended his congratulatory words on the successful completion of the projects and sincerely hoped that these projects would not only secure environment for the local communities but also contribute to resolving grassroots level issues in different regions.
For their part, grant recipients expressed gratitude to the government and the people of Japan for the provided support.
“Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project” (GGP) is a scheme within Japan’s Official Development Assistance. GGP in particular implements grassroots-level projects in various sectors throughout the Republic of Tajikistan. Recipients of GGP grants include local governments, educational and medical institutions, and NGOs. As of today, GGP has supported 383 projects in the Republic of Tajikistan, for which US$ $30.9 million has been allocated since 1996.
