Political Overview
During FY 2002, the Government of Tajikistan sought to consolidate the gains engendered by increased regional stability and shift its focus to economic development. Anti-terrorist Coalition efforts in neighboring Afghanistan removed the Taliban from power, thereby eliminating a major threat to Tajikistan's stability. Further, Operation Enduring Freedom significantly degraded the operational abilities of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a terrorist organization that fought alongside the Taliban and in 1999 and 2000 transited Tajikistan as part of its armed campaign against the Government of Uzbekistan. Though the threat of international terrorism was diminished, narcotics trafficking remained a significant problem as heroin producers in Afghanistan used Tajikistan as a primary route for exports to the rest of Eurasia and Europe. This activity undermined efforts towards increased rule of law and was a source of significant economic distortion.
Improvements in security allowed the government to continue its halting progress towards further democratization and rule of law. In FY 2002, the government issued the first license for an independent radio station in the capital, Dushanbe, eliminated the exit visa requirement for Tajik citizens wanting to travel abroad, and continued administrative arrangements for the transfer of responsibility for prisons from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice. The government amended the national law on media, making explicit the Constitution's protection of freedom of the press, but retaining some flawed portions of the law. Though new opposition parties still experienced difficulty in registering, Tajikistan is still the only country in Central Asia with an openly religious opposition party -- the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan -- which holds seats in the legislature.
During FY 2002, the Government of Tajikistan significantly expanded its international links beyond Central Asia and other former Soviet republics. It formally joined NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. Similarly, a number of countries opened embassies in Dushanbe, among them Great Britain, France, and Japan. The government concluded a border delimitation treaty with the People's Republic of China, and deepened its involvement in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov made a number of trips abroad as part of this increased international role. As the fiscal year ended, preparations were underway for his attendance at the NATO summit in the Czech Republic and his first official visits to France and the United States.
Economic Overview
Tajikistan is the poorest country in Eurasia and one of the poorest countries in the world. With foreign revenue precariously dependent on exports of cotton and aluminum, the economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks. In FY 2002, international assistance remained an essential source of support for the country's health sector as well as rural development efforts aimed at recovery from the severe drought of 2000 and 2001. Weaknesses in the Tajik economy were demonstrated by the incidence of chronic malnutrition, which remained high despite above-average rainfall during the year. A United Nations food security survey determined that the primary contributing factors to malnutrition were land use policies, poor infrastructure and lack of market access, which increased food prices while also making it difficult for citizens to have a sufficiently varied diet. Events during the year underscored the economy's reliance on migrant labor, with estimations of Tajik citizens working abroad -- mostly in Russia and neighboring countries -- ranging from 800,000 to one million.
Despite resistance from vested interests, the Government of Tajikistan continued to pursue macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform in FY 2002. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 9.1 percent for 2002, according to the Government of Tajikistan. GDP growth in 2001 was 10.2 percent. Inflation has declined from the previous year and is projected to be approximately seven percent for 2002. The exchange rate continued to hold stable with only a mild depreciation of the Somoni. Despite increases in defense and social sector spending, the budget deficit for 2003 is 0.5 percent of GDP, down from a full percent in the 2002 budget. During the year, the government announced its intent to adopt fully international accounting standards by FY 2004 and made initial efforts towards this goal. The potential for continued economic growth is found in the agricultural and light-manufacturing sectors where productivity increases are anticipated from continued privatization of medium-sized and large state owned enterprises and land reform. Restructuring of the banking sector and improved governance generally are top priorities if the country is to create an improved environment for private sector investment and growth.
During FY 2002, the Board of the International Monetary Fund reached agreement on a six month Staff Monitoring Program (SMP) focused on completing the country's structural reform program. The government made good progress in approaching the SMP targets and generally was in compliance with the program. One significant misstep was a series of three incidents of misreporting—totaling $31.63 million—under the government's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility arrangements. As a result, the IMF Executive Board requested that the government repay the amount in four quarterly tranches to be completed by the end of March 2003. In January 2003, the Government of Tajikistan is up to date with its payments. In May and June, the World Bank approved two infrastructure projects -- an improvement of the Dushanbe water supply and the electrical power system in the Pamir mountain range -- and a poverty alleviation project, totaling $41 million.
Overview of U.S. Government Assistance
In FY 2002, the U.S. Government provided an estimated $162.55 million in assistance to Tajikistan:
USAID programs, which accounted for approximately $40.5 million of FSA-funded assistance to Tajikistan, were focused on the broad areas of democracy and governance, economic restructuring, health sector support, humanitarian assistance and energy and environment. In addition to providing FSA-funded assistance, USAID also provided $350,000 in prior-year Child Survival funds, approximately $100,000 in Matching Grant Programs, and $1 million through its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The U.S. State Department's Public Diplomacy exchange programs accounted for approximately $1.2 million, and FSA Democracy Small Grants program accounted for $100,000.
The war in Afghanistan and the increased assistance resources allocated to Tajikistan have made possible a significant expansion and deepening of U.S. government development programs in the country. Over the past several years, U.S. assistance to Tajikistan focused heavily on supporting political reconciliation and the establishment of a stable, pluralistic government. With new additional resources, our assistance program is moving much more aggressively to aid the country's economic transition, while at the same continuing to support activities that broaden Tajikistan's relatively open political environment. To facilitate Tajikistan's transition to a market economy, the U.S. Government has helped the Government of Tajikistan rewrite the laws and recast the public institutions needed to foster economic growth in a free market. To spur economic growth, the U.S. Government has promoted privatization, commercial law reform, micro-credit programs, agricultural-sector development, and the development of small and medium-sized businesses. The U.S. Government's regional environmental and energy programs have supported Tajikistan's participation in regional water and energy management programs along with its Central Asian neighbors. U.S. Government-funded assistance in the health-care sector has supported the Ministry of Health's reform program through retraining and medical personnel and technical assistance, and helped to combat the spread of infectious disease.
Increased engagement in the areas of security and law-enforcement were marked by an expansion of the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program as well as initial programs under the framework of International Military Education and Training (IMET) arrangements. In FY 2002, U.S. Government-funded humanitarian assistance programs continued to target drought affected groups throughout the country, although improved rains allowed such programs to begin winding down. Other humanitarian programs have continued to meet other human needs. Through extensive U.S. Government-funded training programs, thousands of Tajik citizens from a wide range of sectors have gained the skills needed to move forward with reforms in the public sector and to build a prosperous private-sector economy.
Training and Exchange Programs
Since FY 1993, U.S. Government-funded exchange programs have brought over 1,100 Tajik citizens to the United States for short-term professional or long-term academic training, including over 100 in FY 2002 alone. These programs give participants an opportunity to develop their skills and establish valuable contacts with U.S. counterparts.
USAID Training Programs: Through the Global Training for Development (GTD) and Strategic Technical Assistance for Results with Training (START) projects, USAID trained nearly 3,080 citizens of Tajikistan, approximately 48% of whom were women, through 67 U.S.-based, in-country, and third-country training programs in FY 2002. Training focused on tax reform, NGO development, judicial and legal reform, mass media, health care, and education. Training also supported gender- and youth-focused initiatives. NGO development work led to a conference to promote cooperation between government agencies and NGOs to alleviate the country's social problems, which was attended by President Rahmonov. Programs on health care reform enabled the Ministry of Health to establish the Somoni Health Care Project team, which developed a health reform plan on primary care and family medicine for the next decade that was approved by President Rahmonov. Using skills and materials gained during a community outreach program, one participant mobilized the women in her community to reconstruct two schools (impacting 1,380 students) and establish a press center to publish a monthly newspaper. After returning from a microfinance study tour to the Kyrgyz Republic, government banking officials drafted laws on microfinancing organizations and micro-leasing, which have been submitted to the parliament for revision. The Ministry of Justice included half of the legislative recommendations submitted by participants at a roundtable discussion on the registration of legal entities by participants to a draft law on the subject, which was sent to the Majlisi Oli for approval.
U.S. Department of State - Public Diplomacy Exchanges: Academic and professional exchange programs administered by the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section in collaboration with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) continued to support Tajikistan's political and economic transition during FY 2002. Approximately 70 Tajik citizens traveled to the United States on the ECA Bureau's academic and professional exchange programs. The International Visitor (IV) program sent 22 Tajik decision-makers and opinion leaders to the United States to learn more in the areas of local public administration, religious tolerance, cultural preservation and museum management, independent journalism, government spokesmanship, and drug demand reduction. On one IV program, political leaders, religious representatives and specialists representing faiths as diverse as Islam, Catholicism and Baha'i in Tajikistan, came together for a program that focused on religious diversity and tolerance in the United States. In addition, 21 Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) high school students, five FSA Undergraduate students, and three Muskie/FSA Graduate fellows participated in the ECA Bureau's academic year and graduate degree exchange programs. The experience they gain will support Tajikistan's transition and foster long-term ties and mutual understanding between U.S. and Tajik citizens. FY 2002 also saw a continuation of the Teaching Excellence awards program, recognizing the country's outstanding teachers of English.
U.S. Department of Commerce - Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) Program: The SABIT program continued in FY 2002, sending five of the country's most highly successful entrepreneurs to the United States for short-term training programs on international oil and gas standards, gas pipelines, transportation infrastructure, and telecommunications. In FY 2002, one intern founded a small business association, allowing its members access to the legislative process under Tajik law, and an article about one of SABIT's Energy sessions was published in after a Tajik alumna returned home. These programs support Tajikistan's transition to a market-based economy by giving talented managers hands-on experience with U.S. management practices in industries key to Tajikistan's economy and infrastructure.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Cochran Fellowship Program: In FY 2002, the Cochran Program provided training for eight participants in agricultural education, fruit and vegetable processing, cooperative development, agricultural policy, dairy herd management, and products processing. Following their stay in the United States, Cochran Fellowship recipients analyzed existing agricultural policies and initiated new medium- and long-term strategies and investment options in the agricultural sector.
Democracy Programs
Strengthening Tajikistan's democratic culture is essential to reforming the country's political institutions. It is also a cornerstone for building peace in the aftermath of the country's five-year civil war. In FY 2002, U.S. Government-funded democracy programs focused on building civil society, supporting independent media, providing skills for political party building, fostering civic education programs, and supporting reforms in the legal profession. Although Tajikistan's public institutions remain weak, it is the only country in the region where a religiously affiliated political party is legally registered and participating in the political process, and whose members participate in government. It has also shown relative openness to outside efforts to nurture the development of civil society and private initiative.
USAID Support to Independent Media: Tajikistan made great strides in the area of media reform during the past year. The most significant event was the granting of a broadcast license for the first private radio station in the capital city, Dushanbe. The private media company Asia-Plus had made several unsuccessful applications for such a license. With strong support from the U.S. Ambassador and others in the international community, and with technical and legal assistance provided by USAID, Asia-Plus gained the license after meeting directly with President Rahmonov. Asia-Plus started its broadcasts in September 2002 and airs a mix of music, news coverage of local political parties, and local and international current events. Although Asia-Plus deliberately refrains from criticism of the government and those in power, its coverage of politics and news is filling a clear need in Tajikistan. Tajikistan's journalists continue to work under extremely difficult economic and political conditions. Self-censorship is common and financial independence through advertising sales is limited due to the country's weak economy. USAID-sponsored training is helping to improve the situation. USAID-funded media law experts provide consultation to television and radio stations on the registration and licensing process and laws that deal with libel and freedom of information. In addition, USAID media law experts helped develop a draft media law currently under consideration by the Government. Some 300 copies of six different reference booklets in Tajik were distributed to media outlets on topics ranging from television management, reporting, ethics, and national minorities. This past year, USAID-published textbooks on newspaper design and television management were used in university journalism departments and by journalists around the country. The USAID-supported national news exchange "Paighom" ("News from Afar"), has continued and is being aired weekly on 17 stations around the country.
USAID NGO Development Programs: USAID's NGO sustainability index gave evidence that Tajikistan's NGO sector improved in all categories over the past year, including the areas of legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy skills, service provision, NGO support services and public image. This improvement can be attributed to several factors, including the increased presence by USAID and other donors in Tajikistan (facilitated by the improved security situation); renewed interest in engaging Tajik NGOs in reconstruction and reconciliation work; and the maturation of "first generation" Tajik NGOs. Perhaps the most important change for civil society in Tajikistan was the Government's more supportive attitude toward the NGO sector. The main catalyst for this change was President Rahmonov's participation in a USAID-sponsored NGO Conference on Social Partnerships in June 2002. This conference brought together several hundred NGO activists, international organizations, and a government delegation led by the President. The unprecedented participation by such a senior government delegation signaled a change in government attitude towards NGOs and led to a noticeable improvement in relationships between local government officials and NGOs throughout the country.
USAID Political Party Development: Through technical assistance and seminars, USAID's political party development efforts have helped Tajikistan's political parties to better mobilize their supporters through improved communication, membership development, recruitment strategies, and constituent relations. Despite government measures to restrict the political space in Tajikistan, we are seeing political parties use these skills to organize women and youth constituencies and better present themselves in the media. USAID also sponsored a series of televised parliamentary roundtables that provided citizens an opportunity to see their parliamentarians and become familiar with their work and the issues before them.
USAID Civic Education Programs: A new model civics textbook for ninth grade students was completed this year and enthusiastically received by students and teachers in classroom trials. The textbook, along with the accompanying teachers' manual, focuses on such topics as civic responsibility, women in political life in Tajikistan and international human rights. The Ministry of Education gave its formal approval of the textbook just after the end of the fiscal year. The text will now be piloted in 40 schools around the country, accompanied by training courses for teachers on the use of the textbook and a teacher's manual. Also in 2002, more than 400 students participated in extra-curricular civic activities such as student local government days, democracy summer camps, and student action committees, and are now more engaged in political and social issues affecting their country.
USAID Judicial Reform Programs: In the area of court reform and administration, USAID continued to support the Council of Justice, which it helped create, in supporting needed reforms in the Tajik judicial system and court administration. One of the Council's primary objectives is to establish the judiciary as a truly independent branch of government. In collaboration with the Council of Justice and other international donors (most notably the Swiss government), USAID continued to push for greater autonomy for the judiciary. This effort has had mixed success. The Ministry of Justice, for example, continued to resist granting greater autonomy to the judiciary, and disclosed plans to take over responsibility for judicial training. The political tug-of-war is continuing, and the judiciary will require ongoing support from the international donor community if it is to be successful in maintaining and expanding its independence.
U.S. Department of State - Independent Media Programs: The U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section made a grant of $4,000 to Dushanbe's first independent radio station (see above) for the purchase of a diesel generator to ensure broadcast operations despite the city's often unreliable electrical power supply and to enhance the station's independence from various means of interference.
U.S. Department of State - Support for OSCE Independent Media Project: The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs provided $60,000 from the State Department's Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) account to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to support an independent media project in Tajikistan.
U.S. Department of State - Democracy Commission Small Grants Program: The U.S. Embassy's Democracy Commission awarded over $100,000 in small grants supporting the development of a healthy non-governmental sector, with a focus on helping newly formed NGOs that have innovative proposals for democratic development, as opposed to supporting established NGOs that are already skilled at winning grants from donor agencies. The Democracy Commission awarded 20 grants to NGOs working in fields such as trafficking in persons, conflict resolution, women's issues, independent journalism, drug addiction, and religious tolerance.
U.S. Department of State - Internet Access and Training Program (IATP): In FY 2002, the IATP, which is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), opened new public-access Internet facilities in Khojand and Dushanbe and expanded the existing center in Dushanbe. The centers provide Internet access and training to the public in order to promote the free flow of information. The centers also provide meeting places for alumni of U.S. Government-funded exchange and visitor programs who use the center to network with their U.S. counterparts. The IATP network in Tajikistan currently supports five public-access Internet facilities, including one just opened in Kurgan Tube.
U.S. Department of State - Human Rights and Democratization Initiatives in the Muslim World: The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) funded a pair of regional initiatives aimed at increasing knowledge of and respect for human rights and democracy in Central Asia. The programs—a civic advocacy center operated by the American Bar Association in Khojand and a journalist training program administered by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting—were in the initial stage of operations in late FY 2002.
U.S. Department of State - Support for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED): In FY 2002, the Department provided $150,000 in FSA funding to NED to supplement its grant-making activities in Tajikistan. NED used this funding to support programs to promote women's participation in civic life, which have included the publication of training materials, train-the-trainers seminars, and radio programs to publicize the information. Other programs in Tajikistan have included support for human rights organizations that provide assistance for needy citizens, monitor and report on human rights violations, advise the government on appropriate legislation to guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms, provide lectures and seminars on human rights and maintain a database of new laws, legislation, judicial rulings, and other relevant legal documents. Tajikistan also benefits from NED regional and cross-border programs that support important journals of discussion such as Tsentralnaya Aziya i Kavkaz, as well as programs conducted by Central Europeans to spread experience and training in democratic development.
Economic Development Programs
USAID Commercial Law Programs: One of the key results of USAID's efforts has been the establishment and institutionalization of a merit-based system of judicial selection, retention and promotion. As a direct result of the judicial examination process, a significant number of sitting judges (approximately 41 to date) have been removed from the bench and replaced with more qualified judges. USAID also continued to provide judicial training aimed at increasing the skills and competency of the Tajik judiciary. Nearly half of the entire Tajik judiciary (175 judges) participated in at least one intensive judicial training program during FY 2002. The training is designed to be as practical as possible, focusing on newly enacted commercial legislation, professional practice (judicial ethics and court management) and a host of commercial law-related issues that are commonly faced by Tajik courts. USAID advisors conducted a comprehensive assessment of Tajik commercial legislation to identify gaps and areas where existing legislation must to be amended to better serve a market economy, including pledge law, mortgages, joint stock companies, taxation, bankruptcy, insurance, administrative procedures and civil procedure. Legislative working groups made up of Parliamentarians and government representatives were tasked with developing proposed legislation for consideration during the 2003 Parliamentary session.
USAID Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) Development Programs: To promote the development of SMEs, USAID established Enterprise Development Centers in Dushanbe and Khojand to serve as sources for business information, training and advisory services for entrepreneurs. Training reached close to 2000 businesspeople during 2002. USAID also helped Tajik producers access markets for inputs and find customers. Using its newly developed regional Internet-based trade network, U.S. funded business advisors helped firms increase their competitive advantage and establish new trade links. The first deal closed through this new activity enabled one Dushanbe firm to conclude a $22,000 contract to import macaroni drying equipment, thereby increasing production by 80% and creating four new jobs.
USAID Economics and Business Education Programs: USAID's Resource Network for Economics and Business Education (EdNet) provided 22 member universities with modern business and economics curricula, retrained professors in modern business and economics, and improved teaching methods. It also financed research and equipment grants, textbooks and teaching materials, professional workshops, and visiting professorships. The three Visiting International Professors (VIPs) delivered modern business and economics courses to university students and helped develop university departments in modern business principles and market economics. Through EdNet, 117 local professors received training in modern business and economics principles. As a result of EdNet activities, over 3,500 students in Tajikistan have been exposed to modern economics and business education.
USAID Accounting Reform Programs: Taking advantage of technical assistance provided by USAID, and drawing on lessons learned elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, the Government of Tajikistan formally agreed to a two-year program to adopt International Accounting Standards (IAS) for all public and private accounts. A successful transition to IAS is critical to attracting direct foreign investment to Tajikistan. The government also committed itself to adopting the USAID Model Accounting Curriculum for use in its universities and to establish an IAS compliant Certified International Professional Accountant (CIPA) program. In FY 2002, 1,645 individuals were enrolled in the certification program.
USAID Micro-Credit Programs: In cooperation with ACDI/VOCA, USAID established a microfinance institution in the politically volatile Ferghana Valley region this past year. The number of clients has already climbed to 379 (72% women) with $90,000 in loans disbursed and a 100% repayment rate. USAID is also working closely with the National Bank of Tajikistan to prepare a draft microfinance law and associated regulatory framework needed to support the growth of microfinance institutions. The National Association of Businesswomen, whose microcredit programs were funded with prior year funding by USDA and USAID, now reaches over 3,600 clients in three regions of the country.
USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program: The FTF Program fielded 16 U.S. volunteers in Tajikistan during FY 2002. These programs are often implemented in close partnership with the Technological University of Tajikistan (TUT) in northern Tajikistan, and provide business management and technical training in response to specific needs of individual firms and farmers. During an assignment, one volunteer submitted a successful proposal to the State Department for a $300,000 program that will send two professors of textile and food technology from the TUT to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln each semester. A total of 12 professors will benefit from the program over the next three years.
Trade and Investment Programs
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC): OPIC continued its support of a U.S.-based equity fund's investment in a water-bottling plant in the northern city of Ura-Teppa. The plant continues to produce bottled drinking water for local markets and for export; the plant's brand of water has become Tajikistan's best-selling bottled water.
USAID Support for WTO Accession: In response to a request from the Government of Tajikistan, the U.S. is providing legal and economic analysis of the existing trade regime in Tajikistan in support of the Government or Tajikistan's efforts to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO). To support this effort, and in close coordination with the Government of Switzerland (which is sponsoring the Tajik application), USAID is assisting selected government bodies to restructure and retrain their staff in preparation for implementation of WTO agreements in such areas as customs reform and removal of other technical barriers to trade. USAID is also supporting the education and active participation of private sector entrepreneurs in the accession process.
U.S. Department of Commerce - Business Information Service for the NIS (BISNIS): Although BISNIS had no representative in Tajikistan in FY 2002, it supported development of three sizable telecommunications projects in Tajikistan, with joint support from a U.S. Export Assistance Center in Colorado in one case and the U.S. Embassy in the other two. In FY 2002, BISNIS engaged businesspeople across the region in discussion of their country's business climate and made particular headway to support telecommunications and Internet infrastructure and the exchange of views with U.S. contacts. BISNIS also counseled and supported a finance search for the Boulder-Dushanbe Sister City Association in the development of a cyber cafe project in Dushanbe.
U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank: Ex-Im Bank is currently off-cover for all financing programs in Tajikistan.
U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA): In FY 2002, TDA provided an additional $70,000 for a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) technical assistance project to establish a civil aviation department in Dushanbe.
Energy and Environmental Programs
USAID Energy Resource Programs: USAID is assisting Tajikistan's energy sector through an innovative heating efficiency program operating in three pilot schools and one orphanage, all in Dushanbe. The schools each serve about 2,000 children, while the orphanage hosts more than 500 children. The program supports installation of automatic heat regulating equipment in the buildings to increase efficiencies and reduce costs to the schools. The city of Dushanbe is supportive and active in this project, and is already looking for the means to duplicate it in other buildings.
USAID Regional Water Management Programs: USAID is helping Tajik institutions to improve the collection, analysis and exchange of data critical to water resource management, including their weather forecasting capability and the ability to better predict annual runoff and river flows. In support of this activity, USAID provided improved monitoring equipment and training programs for the modeling of water runoff from snowmelt to aid flow forecasting and water allocations. Seven meteorological stations were installed in FY 2002, including five in critical high altitude regions, for better collection of water and weather data for the country. Tajik agencies are directly participating in a technical working group, organized by USAID, intended to improve the sharing and use of critical river flow information among the Central Asian republics. To facilitate regional collaboration, USAID is supporting the installation of a unified communication system that will enable the distribution of critical, real-time water information among all the Central Asian republics, although cooperation is still a challenge. Even prior to independence, there was limited data flow in the Aral Sea Basin, and none of it was automated.
USAID Irrigation Rehabilitation Programs: Civil strife and lack of sufficient resources for system operation and maintenance have resulted in extensive deterioration in the water distribution system. Though Tajikistan's population and economy are highly dependent on irrigated agriculture, many current delivery systems are virtually inoperable. To address this condition, the U.S. Government, in close partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, is restoring primary irrigation infrastructure by replacing key pumps and motors at four pumping stations in southwestern Tajikistan. The delivery system under repair serves an area of approximately 20,000 hectares, with 60,000 beneficiaries. Complementing this investment, USAID is also demonstrating improved on-farm irrigation practices and better district-level water management practices, both of which will contribute to the sustainability of the systems.
Social-Sector and Humanitarian Programs
In FY 2002, through the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and State as well as USAID, the U.S. Government provided a substantial amount of humanitarian assistance to meet immediate human needs, while at the same time supporting critical health care reforms necessary to revamp the country's struggling health care system.
USAID Agricultural Programs: In FY 2002, USAID supported several NGO agricultural programs across the country, including the Karategin Valley (Gharm and nearby Tavildara), the Leninskiy District near Dushanbe, Sughd province in the north, and many locations in Khatlon province. These programs aided over 39,000 rural households, and brought a total of 5691 hectares back into production through rehabilitation of secondary and tertiary irrigation systems. These programs also provided small-scale credit, agricultural extension services, and improved vegetable seeds to boost household incomes.
USAID Primary Health Care Programs: USAID's primary health care program seeks to create a higher quality, user-friendly, and more cost-effective primary health care system through retraining of doctors and nurses in family medicine. One goal of the program is to establish an incentive-based provider payment system. The program also helps health sector NGOs to strengthen their organizational capacity, while at the same time improving the health care provided to pregnant women and their children, prevention and treatment of child malnutrition, assistance in malaria control efforts, and control of tuberculosis (TB) by training doctors and laboratory specialists to diagnose and treat TB. USAID has also made a special effort to fight the spread of HIV by supporting NGO-led preventative programs that target intravenous drug use, promote the marketing of condoms, and document high risk groups by introducing a surveillance system. To address basic health needs of the general population, the U.S. Government, along with several other donors, is supporting reform of Tajikistan's primary health care system. Family doctors will be able to provide higher quality services in communities after being retrained by expertly prepared family medicine trainers. USAID is supporting an 11-month training program staffed by western-trained family doctors to prepare trainers for provincial centers. The program is supported by a newly renovated Family Medicine Training Center. Resource-starved family doctors have also benefited from the provision of portable medical kits and family medicine texts in Russian. Future directions include making better information on drugs available to physicians through a Drug Information Center and supporting a small grants program that will strengthen efforts to inform communities of ways to protect their health. In close collaboration with the World Bank, USAID will introduce new payment systems in select locations as part of a health care financing reform effort. This past year, USAID programs referred 331 severely malnourished children for treatment at therapeutic feeding centers in hospitals, and a further 2,377 moderately malnourished children were enrolled to receive supplementary foods. Women in Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast improved their knowledge of contraceptives (from 73% to 87%) and increased access. As a result of these efforts, 39% are now using modern methods of contraception. Complete malaria control has not yet been achieved, but the first steps in rebuilding the capacity for diagnosis and treatment have been accomplished. Recognizing that TB cases and deaths are increasing, a new pilot TB treatment program has been established in close partnership with the Ministry of Health. Women of reproductive age and infants in Varzob District are benefiting from improved reproductive health services for women. USAID supported training of Ministry of Health (MOH) staff, who then trained district midwives who currently deliver a high proportion of the babies born at home, as hospitals and maternity facilities are largely non-functional. Midwives trained in basic lifesaving skills were able to save lives by manually removing placentas and recognizing and transporting women with other emergencies, such as premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall. Women and communities are also being educated to recognize danger signs of problems during pregnancy and know when professional care is needed. At the start of this activity, only 6% of women surveyed knew at least two danger signs, but with nearly 12,000 women attending educational sessions during the project, this percentage is expected to improve significantly.
Security, Regional Stability, and Law Enforcement Programs
U.S. Department of Defense - Warsaw Initiative/ Partnership for Peace (PfP) - Tajikistan became an official member of PfP on November 18, 2001. With this membership, Tajikistan becomes eligible for Warsaw Initiative Funds (WIF). In addition to five PfP-related events in 2003, in December 2002, the U.S. Embassy's Defense Attach� Office will facilitate the installation of the Partnership for Peace Information Management System (PIMS), giving the Ministry of Defense (MOD), the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Internet access. This modern system will provide the various ministries access to information that will allow them to further expand their participation in PfP events as well as give them access to medical, seismological and mapping information needed by these ministries. Present plans call for the January 2003 posting of a permanent liaison from the Tajik MOD in Mons, Belgium, enabling a further expansion of Tajikistan's participation in PfP-related exercises and events.
U.S. Department of State - International Military Education and Training (IMET) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF): With the goals of exposing the Tajik military to Western standards and doctrine and transforming its military from a Soviet-era military to one more appropriate for contemporary threats, security assistance programs have increased dramatically in Tajikistan. Before September 2001, military-to-military activities were limited to programs, seminars and courses sponsored by the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies. This is no longer the case. With Tajikistan's removal from the International and Trafficking and Arms list (ITARs) in December 2001, the MOD became eligible for military assistance. In FY 2002, Tajikistan's MOD received $3.7 million in FMF, which it allocated for the purchase of desperately needed medical equipment and uniforms for its soldiers. Tajikistan's IMET budget has gone from zero in FY 2001 to $250,000 in FY 2002. IMET programs this year have included visits to Tajikistan by two English language Mobile Training teams and attendance at English-language and military training courses in the U.S. by five Tajik students. The majority of IMET funds for FY 2002 were allocated to establish within the MOD the ability to teach their soldiers and officers English. In December 2002, two English language labs will be installed, one in the MOD and one in the Military Lyceum. Additionally the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has begun an active engagement program. Four Tajik representatives, soon to be increased to five, are now living and working at the CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, coordinating Operation Enduring Freedom-related matters and are fully integrated into the Coalition Center, which includes 43 nations.
U.S. Department of State - Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program: In FY 2002, the U.S. Government continued to provide EXBS assistance to Tajikistan focused on developing and enhancing the country's capabilities to prevent proliferation and detect, interdict, and investigate illegal transfers of weapons and materials. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Tajikistan was allocated $7.5 million from the Emergency Response Fund supplemental appropriation for enhanced border security activities under the EXBS Program. These funds are being used to procure uniforms, communications equipment, vehicles, Global Positioning Systems, binoculars, generators, remodeling a training center for an English language laboratory, interdiction tool kits with border enforcement training, pagers, ground sensors, personal gear for officers, train-the-trainer equipment and portal monitors. FY 2002 efforts are also targeted at support for infrastructure upgrades at border patrol training academies and to further enhance legal and regulatory mechanisms. In November 2002, Tajik officials received International Border Interdiction Training in Hidalgo, Texas. Russian Border Forces have recently withdrawn from the Chinese border, leaving the Tajikistan Border Guards new challenges to patrol and secure that border. Russian border forces remain the primary force on the Tajikistan's southern border with Afghanistan. The Government of Tajikistan has participated in the EXBS-funded Central Asian Regional Communications Link (CACL) that is strengthening intra-governmental coordination on border security, and helping Tajikistan and its neighbors tighten control over illicit trafficking and movement of international terrorists. Tajikistan's border security officials also have taken part in regional and international export control and border security training workshops and conferences.
U.S. Department of State - Support for Science Centers: Through the multilateral International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) in Moscow and the Kiev-based Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), the Department of State funds research projects that engage former Soviet WMD experts in peaceful scientific endeavors. The goal of the program is to reduce the risk that weapons expertise might be successfully targeted by countries of proliferation concern or terrorist groups. In FY 2003, Tajikistan is expected to become a member of the science centers, thereby increasing their opportunity for State Department evaluation and funding of their research proposals.
U.S. Department of State - Support for the Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF): The CRDF awarded a $3,600 travel grant to a Tajik scientist to attend a scientific conference, and continues to administer one grant under the Cooperative Grants Program.
U.S. Department of State - Anti-Crime Training and Technical Assistance (ACTTA) Program: ACTTA support for counter-narcotics and anti-crime efforts in Tajikistan during FY 2002 was modest, due to the security situation in the country and the limited U.S. presence. Much of the U.S. assistance provided consisted of training for Tajik officials, including Customs and Drug Control Agency representatives. The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) helped prepare senior and working-level Tajik law enforcement officials by sponsoring training courses, seminars and conferences, mainly at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest. In addition, Tajik law enforcement officials participated in a train-the-trainer course in Dushanbe on narcotics detection and interdiction sponsored by the U.S. Customs Service, drug enforcement seminars in Tashkent sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and regional prosecutorial development and assistance conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Customs Service also sponsored the travel to the U.S. of four officers from the Tajik Customs Service and Drug Control Agency to participate in a week-long border interdiction seminar. Law enforcement training programs prepared Tajik participants for combating terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and weapons proliferation, and addressed law enforcement in a context of rule of law and human rights. In FY 2002, the major initiative to combat the flow of narcotics out of neighboring Afghanistan and into and across Tajikistan has been the establishment of the Tajik Drug Control Agency, with the help of the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP). Through INL, the U.S. Government has provided FSA funding for this project and the agency has met with successes in centralizing and expanding Tajik drug control efforts. Tajik authorities are currently reviewing a draft Letter of Agreement that will provide a basis for developing new projects with INL. Drug seizures, mainly heroin originating in Afghanistan, remain the highest in the region. In FY 2003, FY 2002 Supplemental funding will be used to provide additional infrastructure development to combat drug trafficking, including funding for the continued operations of the Drug Control Agency and funding for judicial programs, financial crime deterrence and drug interdiction.
U.S. Department of State - Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA): Due to years of civil war and related social instability that ended in the late-1990s, Tajikistan has only recently entered into the ATA program and there was no participation in training courses in FY 2002.
Humanitarian Programs
U.S. Department of State - Coordinator's Office Humanitarian Assistance: In FY 2002, the Humanitarian Programs Division of the Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia delivered a total of $29.14 million in U.S. Defense Department excess and privately donated humanitarian commodities to Tajikistan at a cost of $1.67million to the U.S. Government. The assistance included 71 forty-foot containers of humanitarian relief supplies valued at $7.2 million delivered by Counterpart International and two airlifts of medicines and medical supplies valued at $9.32 million in cooperation with the U.S. PVO Project Hope.
USAID Disaster Assistance: In response to last year's drought, USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) provided $988,000 to fund a multi-agency seed and fertilizer distribution program that reached over 20,000 households. The improved wheat varieties and fertilizers enabled families to put an additional 11,000 hectares into production, yielding 55,000 MT of grain. OFDA also provided $50,000 in response to a mudslide in the eastern province of Gorno-Badakhshan to finance tents, food and water distribution as well as seeds and fertilizer to help families re-establish themselves.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Food Assistance: USDA's Food for Progress and Section 416(b) Programs played a key role in meeting the U.S. Government's humanitarian objectives, while at the same time laying the foundation for longer-term development in Tajikistan. In FY 2002, USDA and USAID food assistance programs delivered $38.78 million to Tajikistan. Three private voluntary organizations (PVOs) — CARE, the Aga Khan Foundation and Save the Children Federation — and the UN World Food Program (WFP) received 81,884 metric tons of USDA food commodities this fiscal year. Out of this total, 66,000 metric tons were allocated in FY 2002 with the balance having been allocated in FY 2001. These commodities provided direct nutritional support to Tajik citizens and generated local currency to finance community development projects. Over 65,000 pregnant, lactating and anemic women and 900,000 other vulnerable and drought affected people received direct nutritional supplements. In addition, 570,000 children benefited from a school feeding program implemented by WFP and Save the Children. Our PVO partners also used monetization proceeds to support the rehabilitation of schools and irrigation systems, bringing hundreds of hectares of arable land back into productive use.
USAID P.L. 480 Title II Emergency Food Aid: In response to last year's drought, USAID's office of Food for Peace shipped 35,000 MT of food commodities, valued at $19.8 million, to support the WFP relief and development programs in Tajikistan. USAID provided a total of $26.23 million to support the WFP's efforts in Tajikistan in FY 2002.
Partnership Programs
USAID Health Care Partnerships: The long-standing USAID-funded partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado, was concluded this past fiscal year. However, the training component of that initiative is continuing through the North Dakota State Health Department's partnership based in Turkmenistan.
Cross-Sectoral Programs
USAID Conflict Mitigation Activities: In response to increased tensions in the Ferghana Valley, a region shared by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, USAID supports the Peaceful Communities Initiative in 18 Ferghana Valley communities scattered among the three countries. These communities are especially vulnerable to conflict by virtue of their geographic location, their ethnic make-up, and in some cases a history of tensions. Through this initiative, groups representing various cross-sections of the community are formed to identify and prioritize sources of tension and work together to rectify those issues. In some cases, these solutions are as simple as repair of a broken gas or water distribution system, or rehabilitation of a school or clinic in an otherwise neglected neighborhood. Multi-community social events, such as sporting leagues, May Day, Navruz, and Children's Day festivities have shown impact. Given that much tension among communities is generated by a lack of positive community interaction, these social events have done much to overcome obstacles.
USAID Community Action Investment Program (CAIP): Supplemental funding provided in FY 2002 allowed USAID to undertake an expansion of conflict prevention activities through a new Community Action Investment Program. Like the Peaceful Communities Initiative, this program will work with conflict-vulnerable communities to identify and overcome sources of conflict, but on a larger scale, and in a country-specific context. In Tajikistan, the expansion has allowed for new activity in the Ferghana and Rasht Valleys as well as Khatlon Province.
Eurasia Foundation: In FY 2002, the Eurasia Foundation made 22 grants totaling approximately $371,000 to NGOs in Tajikistan, with an average grant size of nearly $16,000. Half of these grant funds supported private enterprise development, with the remainder targeting improvements in the areas of civil society and public policy and administration. To improve the performance of local municipalities, the Foundation helped the Center for Social Technologies conduct seminars in five provincial centers for municipal workers on municipal bidding systems and how to foster social partnerships. The seminars became one of the first opportunities in the past ten years for municipal servants to obtain new information in their field as well as to meet colleagues from other regions and share their professional experience. They also resulted in five partnership projects between local municipalities and NGOs in such areas as orphanage management, conflict resolution, ecology, and public health. Through a grant to the Kadbonu Women's Association, the Foundation funded the establishment of a network of training centers in remote areas to assist women entrepreneurs and provide professional business training.
Programs Promoting the Objectives of the Silk Road Strategy Act (SRSA) of 1999
In FY 2002, a number of U.S. Government-funded assistance programs contributed to the objectives laid out in the SRSA—promoting reconciliation and recovery from regional conflicts; fostering economic growth and development; promoting infrastructure development; increasing border control capabilities; and promoting democracy, tolerance, and the development of civil society. Please see the above sections for numerous examples of programs that contributed to one or more of these objectives.
Preview of FY 2003 Programs
The U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section plans to organize several International Visitor (IV) programs on a variety of topics relevant to Tajikistani development. Public Diplomacy academic exchange programs will provide U.S.-based training opportunities for greater numbers of young Tajiks to help them become their country's future leaders in civil society, government and business. A new activity in FY 2003 will be the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau's School Connectivity program that will bring computers and training to approximately ten Tajik schools. Also new to Tajikistan will be the Junior Faculty Development Program, which targets young university faculty members in Tajikistan and sends them to a U.S. university to train them in university curriculum development.
Through law enforcement training programs and security programs, the U.S. Government will continue to strengthen Tajikistan's law enforcement and export control and border security capabilities, with an emphasis on counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation. A key component of these programs will be a focus on human rights as an integral part of law enforcement in a democratic society.
USAID is undertaking a considerable expansion of its Tajikistan program using supplemental funds appropriated in FY 2002. In the area of democracy and governance programs, USAID will continue its current portfolio of activities, while adding a new local government program. USAID will also expand its current judicial training activity to include criminal law as well as commercial law issues. USAID will be re-competing its long-standing NGO development activity in FY 2003. As stated above, the USAID-developed civics textbook for ninth graders will be piloted this coming year in 40 schools nationwide. USAID will provide technical assistance to the National Bank of Tajikistan and fund the new Central Asian Microfinance Alliance (CAMFA) to assist emerging microfinance institutions in the country. USAID will work to improve the ability of the Ministry of Revenues to collect revenues by implementing transparent processes for collecting taxpayer data and develop improvements to the tax code that would foster greater tax compliance through simplification.
In the health sector, USAID will accelerate implementation of the core health reform activity, with an emphasis on moving forward on reforming the health care financing system. USAID will continue implementation of several activities begun last year to address infectious diseases, including a malaria control program and a pilot program based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) Directly Observed Therapy Short Course (DOTS) tuberculosis control program. New activities include: 1) a large, regional, five-year maternal and child health and reproductive health program; 2) a drug demand reduction program; and 3) a new HIV/AIDS prevention program. In addition, USAID is planning an expansion of its new Community Action Investment Program in order to reach more communities in conflict prone regions.
In FY 2003, FY 2002 supplemental funding will enable USAID to initiate a new three-year Basic Education Sector Strengthening program to improve the quality of basic education through core activities in the following areas: (1) improving in-service teacher training; (2) developing a modern curriculum emphasizing learning skills; (3) increasing parent and community involvement in schools; (4) strengthened institutional, managerial, and technical capacity at the national, provincial, district, and school administration levels to better support innovation in schools; and (5) improving school infrastructure.
FY 2003 EXBS assistance will build on FY 2002 efforts and increase activities focused on developing legislation, building basic infrastructure, upgrading border crossing checkpoints, land border patrolling, training center upgrades and equipment and training for entry level officers and managers.
FY 2002 FUNDS BUDGETED FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO TAJIKISTAN,
INCLUDING EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND (ERF) AND EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTALS
(millions of dollars, rounded to the nearest $10,000, as of 12/31/02)
| FREEDOM SUPPORT ACT (FSA) FUNDS |
FY 2002 |
ERF Supplemental |
Emergency Supplemental |
TOTAL |
| U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) | ||||
| - Private-Sector Initiatives |
$2.70 |
|
$6.25 |
$8.95 |
| - Environmental Management |
$1.10 |
|
$4.25 |
$5.35 |
| - Democratic Reform |
$2.50 |
|
$2.00 |
$4.50 |
| - Social-Sector Reform |
$2.50 |
|
$4.75 |
$7.25 |
| - Cross-Cutting/Special Initiatives |
$5.05 |
|
$8.75 |
$13.80 |
| - Eurasia Foundation |
$0.55 |
|
|
$0.55 |
| - Parking Fine Withholding |
$0.002 |
|
$0.002 | |
| TOTAL USAID |
$14.40 |
|
$26.00 |
$40.40 |
| TRANSFERS TO OTHER AGENCIES | ||||
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) - Cochran Fellowship Program |
$0.10 |
|
$0.03 |
$0.13 |
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | ||||
| Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS) |
$0.02 |
|
|
$0.02 |
| Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) Program |
$0.30 |
|
|
$0.30 |
| TOTAL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE |
$0.32 |
|
|
$0.32 |
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE | ||||
| Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) - Public Diplomacy Exchanges |
$1.20 |
|
$1.97 |
$3.17 |
| EUR Bureau - Public Diplomacy Programs (including Democracy Commissions) |
$0.25 |
|
|
$0.25 |
| Coordinator's Office (EUR/ACE) Humanitarian Assistance - Transp. Costs/Grants |
$1.67 |
|
|
$1.67 |
| Export Control & Related Border Security (EXBS-FSA) [excluding Georgia BSLE] |
$0.50 |
|
|
$0.50 |
| Bureau of Internatl. Narcotics & Law Enf. Affairs (INL) - Anti-Crime Training & Tech. Assist. |
$0.50 |
|
$9.00 |
$9.50 |
| TOTAL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE |
$4.12 |
|
$10.97 |
$15.09 |
| TOTAL TRANSFERS TO OTHER AGENCIES |
$4.54 |
|
$11.00 |
$15.54 |
| TOTAL FY 2002 FSA FUNDS BUDGETED |
$18.94 |
|
$37.00 |
$55.94 |
| OTHER U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDS (AGENCY BUDGETS) |
FY 2002 |
ERF Supplemental |
Emergency Supplemental |
TOTAL |
| USAID - P.L. 480, TITLE II - Contribution to United Nations World Food Program (WFP) |
$6.34 |
$19.88 |
|
$26.23 |
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) | ||||
| PVO / NGO Food Distribution Programs |
$21.88 |
|
|
$21.88 |
| Contributions to United Nations World Food Program (WFP) |
$16.90 |
|
|
$16.90 |
| TOTAL USDA |
$38.78 |
|
|
$38.78 |
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) | ||||
| Warsaw Initiative |
$0.08 |
|
|
$0.08 |
| DoD/FBI Counterproliferation |
$0.03 |
|
|
$0.03 |
| U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Humanitarian Asstistance Program - Transp. Costs |
$0.07 |
|
|
$0.07 |
| TOTAL DoD |
$0.18 |
|
|
$0.18 |
| U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE | ||||
| International Military Education & Training (IMET) |
$0.25 |
|
|
$0.25 |
| NADR / Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) |
$0.03 |
|
|
$0.03 |
| NADR / Export Control & Border Security (EXBS) |
|
$7.50 |
|
$7.50 |
| ECA Bureau - Public Diplomacy Programs (ECE Account) |
$0.19 |
|
|
$0.19 |
| Warsaw Initiative / Foreign Military Financing (FMF) |
$0.70 |
|
$3.00 |
$3.70 |
| International Information Programs (IIP) |
$0.01 |
|
|
$0.01 |
| Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) |
$0.06 |
|
|
$0.06 |
| Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) |
$0.54 |
|
|
$0.54 |
| TOTAL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE |
$1.78 |
$7.50 |
$3.00 |
$12.28 |
| TOTAL FY 2002 AGENCY FUNDS BUDGETED |
$47.09 |
$27.38 |
$3.00 |
$77.47 |
| TOTAL FY 2002 U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDS BUDGETED (FSA + AGENCY FUNDS) |
FY 2002
$66.03 |
ERF Supplemental $27.38 |
Emergency Supplemental
$40.00 |
TOTAL $133.41 |
| VALUE OF TRANSPORTED DoD EXCESS & PRIVATELY DONATED COMMODITIES |
|
|
$29.14 | |
| TOTAL FY 2002 U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE (INCLUDING HUMANITARIAN COMMODITY VALUE) |
$162.55 | |||
