In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the Minister of Justice Muzaffar Ashouriyon yesterday noted that foreign funding for Tajik public associations last year amounted to 90.707 million somonis, which is more than 23 million somonis more than in 2019.
In 2019, foreign funding for Tajik public associations reportedly amounted to 67 million somonis.
According to him, 111 public associations were refused registration last year because their documents did not comply with norm of the country’s legislation.
In all, 80 new public associations were officially registered in Tajikistan last year, the minister said.
103 public associations and 16 branches of them were liquidated last year, Ashouriyon added.
About 2,000 public associations now operate in the country.
Meanwhile, some experts consider that many NGOs in Tajikistan still rely on foreign agencies and international organizations for funding, which if stopped will disrupt their activities.
Recall, a new law that was adopted in 2015 restricted the activities of charity organizations. Amendments to the existing law on non-government organizations (NGOs) were passed by both houses of Tajikistan’s parliament in June and July, and received the final sign-off from President Emomali Rahmon on November 23.
The amendments give the Tajik government greater powers to examine NGOs’ funding streams, including grants from foreign donors, as well as to track their expenditure. NGOs are under an obligation to report how much funding they receive to the authorities.
These steps are justified, it is said, not only to make a proper assessment of aid but also to ensure that funds are not used for any biased mobilization.
