This is archived web content selected for preservation by The National Archives.
This snapshot was taken on
22/04/2009
.
External links, forms and search boxes may not function within these archived websites.
.

Launch of the Zarafshan Valley Initiative in Tajikistan

3 May 2006

DFID together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the district authorities recently launched the ‘Zarafshan Valley Initiative’. This is our latest exciting new programme in Tajikistan, which is the poorest country in the Europe and Central Asia region and the least likely to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The challenges facing people in the Zarafshan valley are great: it’s a mountain-locked region with poor roads and lack of market access, numerous natural disasters and a declining agricultural economy. Its population includes some of the most deprived communities in Tajikistan, in terms of service delivery and economic opportunity. Although Zarafshan is one of the poorest regions in Tajikistan, its remoteness and the challenges of working in such a difficult environment has led to it receiving the least amount of international aid.

DFID's new £3.5 million programme over the next three years aims to break the isolation of the Valley, through giving local authorities and civil society the capacity to plan their own future development, manage scarce resources and promote public and private investment. It will contribute to Tajikistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which includes an emphasis on the development of the country’s deprived regions.

The objective of the Zarafshan Valley Initiative is to reduce poverty and improve living conditions among the 270,000 inhabitants of the three isolated districts of the Zarafshan valley: Aini, Penjikent and Mastchoi Kuhi. This will be achieved by:

  • setting up information systems for identifying priorities and planning
  • improving delivery of public services, and
  • enhancing employment opportunities.

A range of activities will be supported, such as:

  • capacity building of local authorities and civil society
  • disaster mitigation
  • establishment of micro finance institution
  • advisory services for small business and farms
  • investment of remittances in local economy, and
  • building communities around peoples’ needs.

Each district will produce development plans together with civil society, based on what people believe to be the most important development challenges. Collaborative approaches involving local authorities and communities in planning and maintenance and building partnerships with the private sector will ensure better delivery of public services. In this way, we aim to forge a model development partnership that could be replicated in other regions of Tajikistan.

Useful links