Conference on Modernization of Public Services to Entrepreneurs and Investors

November 9, 2021

Welcoming Speech by Dr. Pratibha Mehta, RR UNDP in Tajikistan

At the Conference on Modernization of Public Services to Entrepreneurs and Investors

 

Date: 15 October 2021, 09:30 – 13:00

Venue: Hyatt Regency Hotel

 

Your Excellency,

Mr. Davlatali Said, First Deputy Prime - Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan (TBC)

Mr Saadi Qodirzoda, Chairman of State Committee on Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan,

Distinguished Partners, Entrepreneurs, Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great pleasure to be here today and to speak at this important event.

Public service is the gateway and engine of a country’s pathway of development – therefore, sufficient planning needs to be strategically addressed in order for governments to deliver national development goals aligned with SDG Agenda. This requires the creation of strong institutions at national and cross-border level to support high intensive industrialization motive in building capacity for the working population to engage creatively in productive work activities. This will also create the enabling atmosphere of capacitating government’s ability to increase wealth (through taxes and other forms of income generation activities), which in return can be utilised for the purpose of servicing essential sectoral activities connected with Education, Health and transportation. In this vein, there is a critical need to build an enabling environment for improved public service delivery by streamlining regulatory framework and relevant policies, and encouraging data-driven and evidence-based policy making.

The impact of COVID19 pandemic has affected all spheres of live and negatively impacted the socio-economic situation for both citizens and the private sector. The new realities summon for provision of affordable, timely and effective state services, especially to socially vulnerable groups and the private sector, to help the country to minimize the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally , UNDP works closely with the country Governments at national and local levels, to enhance the capacity of government agencies for improved public service delivery by expanding accessibility to public services, integrating service delivery systems and decentralising their access; as well as by enabling the necessary mechanisms to support these changes and ensuring their sustainability.

In Tajikistan, UNDP has been privileged to have long-tern and fruitful collaboration with the Consultative Council on Improvement of Investment Climate, with State Investment Committee, Ministry of Justice and other key Ministries and agencies to foster structural, responsible and sustainable socio-economic transformation and more effective public service delivery which would bring equal opportunities for all Tajik people.

According to UNDP analysis done in 2019, in Tajikistan the state organizations were providing around 2000 types of services, and most of them are time-consuming and providing only in paper version. Therefore, there is an urgent need in standardization, optimization, and simplification (online provision and reducing the number of required docs) of provision state services both to citizens and private sector.

In this vein, UNDP has been partnering very closely with the Government to improve legislation on Public Services, and to setting of an effective functioning mechanism of the law “On State (Public) Services”. In the framework of the UNDP flagship project , the Aid for Trade, which is funded by the Government of Finland,  UNDP supported with the Ministry of Justice and its Working Group to review the current regulatory frameworks, to identify overlapping and duplicating services and reduce its number by 50%, to develop and pass to government 6 by-laws of the current law. These by-laws are fundamental for the improvement of public services and optimization and simplification of provision state services both to citizens and private sector.

One of the by-laws is a Registry of State Services in the country which lists all the services provided by the state to the citizens and second by-law is Standards of State Services, which determines the quality/timeframe/price of the provided service. Other by-laws are aimed at optimization of current services by removing duplications, unnecessary burden and procedures, decrease corruption and illumination of arbitrariness by civil servants. Developed by-laws also promote transparency of the state services within envisaged Portal for State Services, Single Contact Center on State Services and a dedicated Call Center to provide clarity and easy access to the public services for the entrepreneurs, investors and citizens in the country.

Throughout its analytical and capacity building efforts, UNDP has also paid a special attention to understanding the gender perspective of the public services for entrepreneurs. Thus, the result of special assessment of women entrepreneurs needs in Khatlon region were presented at the  Session of the Consultative Council on improving business climate of Khatlon region and recommendations were taken into considering in the process of elaboration of by-laws for the Law on State (Public) Services.

UNDP is planning to continue its technical assistance to the Ministry of Justice in the formulation additional bylaws, including methodology for determining the costs of provision of state/public services; reporting procedures for central and local executive bodies on the provision of state/public services; rules for quality control and performance management, which will streamline the process of improving the provision public services in Tajikistan.

In conclusion of my speech, let me express my gratitude to the Government of Tajikistan, the Consultative Council on Improvement of Investment Climate under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management and all partners and wish you a great success in this endeavour.

Thank you!