Project for Livelihood Improvement of Rural Population in 9 districts of the Republic of Tajikistan

Project Summary

The Project aimed at ensuring sustainable local economic development in 4 districts of Sughd region, 2 districts of Khatlon region and 3 Districts of Republican Subordination (Rasht valley) and implemented during 2014 – 2017. It is targeted at addressing socio-economic issues that affect the livelihood improvement of population, according to implemented priorities at the national and local levels, as reflected in:

• National development strategy and mid-term development programmes of the Republic of Tajikistan;

• Sectoral programs and local development programs of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The Project is mainly implemented in remote areas of the Republic of Tajikistan that mostly affected by different factors, which impede their development, including: remote distance from the centers, lack of infrastructure (social - hospitals, schools, water supply facilities; economic - bridges, roads, irrigation, finance etc.), unemployment, high level of labor migration, weak entrepreneurship growth, poverty and other factors.

Objectives

·       Technical assistance to improve capacity of public and private sectors in local economic development;

·       Training and retraining of 180 civil servants, entrepreneurs on local economic development issues;

·       Development/review of District Development Programmes in nine districts considering national and local priorities;

·       Introduction and efficient use of system for monitoring of local socio-economic development;

·       Organization of learning trips for local government representatives agencies, entrepreneurs and farmers to the regions of the Republic and to Russian Federation;

·       Provision of grant support for rehabilitation of at least 50 small-scale projects on socio-economic infrastructure (local priorities), with a total coverage of more than 200,000 people;

·       Creating Consultative councils for local economic development including representatives of local authorities and private sector;

·       Analysis of the investment profile of each area with involvement of international (including Russian) expertise;

·       Provision of training courses for 500 people on agribusiness, entrepreneurship, farming, sustainable economic development and effective environmental management;

·       Provision of at least 2,000 microcredits for creation of jobs and development of entrepreneurships.

Expected Results

·       Main long-term outcome (Impact) of the Project is livelihood improvement of 1 million population in 9 districts of the Republic of Tajikistan.

·       To achieve this result in midterm (Project outcome) the Project will directly contribute to increase employment and business development in nine, the most vulnerable areas of Tajikistan taking into account their economic capacity. The Project will help to reduce the flow of unqualified migrants from Tajikistan to other CIS countries, including the Russian Federation.

Project partners

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan; State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan; Ministry of Labor, Employment and Migration; Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan; districts administrations and local self-government bodies; development partners; microcredit foundations, nonprofit organizations, civil society organizations and private sector

Accomplishments

·       District authorities are capable efficiently plan and monitor local socio-economic development

·       Support development of favorable investment climate, entrepreneurship and employment at the local level

·       Support rural initiatives aimed to address the local population priorities, creation of new jobs and entrepreneurship development

Budget

The Project for “Livelihood Improvement of Rural Population in 9 districts of the Republic of Tajikistan” funded by the Government of Russian Federation and implemented by UNDP Tajikistan. The total amount of support is 6.7 million US dollars