31 January 2020, Dushanbe – Today Russia’s governmental delegation of the Russian Federation completed their three-day mission to monitor the Russian funded UNDP projects in Tajikistan. The results of the mission were announced at a press conference held in UNDP office in Dushanbe.

Russian Federation has invested around 15 million US dollars since 2014 in development projects implemented by UNDP in Tajikistan. Currently six projects are in implementation phase to find solutions to socio-economic and climatic issues in the country within the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund.

“Tajikistan is very prone to climate change impact, so one of the areas that we are working on through our cooperation with the Russian Federation is to address the vulnerabilities induced by climate change. Tajikistan is not one of the major contributors to carbon footprint, it is very susceptible to weather conditions that can affect the agriculture and the food security in the country,” UNDP Resident Representative in Tajikistan Dr. Pratibha Mehta said.

“With funding from Russia, Tajikistan’s government through our support has already leveraged 10 million dollars from Adaptation Fund for climate resilience and we hope to build on this and to help Tajikistan attract additional 60 million dollars. This is the new way of working,” she said noting the importance of investing in the country’s competitiveness.

Initiatives implemented within the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund priorities are aimed at reaching sustainable development of the partnering countries and finding solutions to meet the needs of vulnerable population through increasing employment opportunities, promoting economic growth, facilitating effective governance system and improving overall wellbeing of the people.

The delegation met with partnering ministries in Tajikistan to discuss the further cooperation and execution of projects funded by the government of Russian Federation. They have also visited filed projects that are currently under way in Khatlon oblast.

“Our assistance is multifaceted… Our projects cover various aspects of national economy and social life in Tajikistan. Speaking of cooperation with UNDP, a trust fund has been created to address specific areas of support to Tajikistan and not only Tajikistan,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russian Federation in Tajikistan Mr. Igor Lyakin-Frolov said.

He highlighted five projects launched last related to the role of women and youth in rural areas, specifically in Zerafshan valley, climate change, and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among youth.

Dr. Pratibha Mehta, UNDP Resident Representative in Tajikistan, H.E. Igor Lyakin-Frolov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russian Federation in the Republic of Tajikistan, Nataliya Strigunova, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russian Federation, and Alexandr Averchenkov, Manager of the UNDP-Russia Trust Fund for Development participated at the press-conference. 

For more details please contact:

Rukhshona Nazhmidinova, Communications Analyst, UNDP in Tajikistan. E-mail: rukhshona.nazhmidinova@undp.org Tel: +992 44 6005596, 6005597, 6005600, 6005601