Situation Update No. 11 (24 December 2001)

GENERAL

The Tajik Government has approved the draft national budget of Tajikistan for the year of 2002. The Tajik Minister of Finance presented the country's budget for 2002 at a session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower chamber of Tajik parliament) where he informed that it will amount to 950 million Somoni (U.S. $ 380 million).

The campaign for picking cotton has been completed and results of this year's yield have been released. The Ministry of Agriculture informed that cotton-growers were able to pick 452,840 tons of cotton, approximately 25% less than this year's expected harvest but a 35% increase on last year's production when 335,600 tons of cotton was collected. Over half of the cotton is produced in the Khatlon region.

Four transport planes of the French Air Force have arrived in Dushanbe and 140 service men are stationed at the airport. Italian Army engineers also landed at the airport in Kulyab, about 200 km south east of Dushanbe, to prepare the airfield for military flights. The stationing of foreign military forces is the result of bilateral agreements signed by the Tajik Government with France, Italy as well as the United States. Gen. Beck, Head of the French Military Air Transport Unit met with international humanitarian organisations on 20 December to discuss the possibility of lending logistical support, particularly with aircrafts, for humanitarian cargo once the initial deployment of the multinational force in Afghanistan has taken place.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has issued an official note to further simplify the border crossing regime to get humanitarian aid into Afghanistan. Under this review, in effect as of 24 December, international staff will be released a multiple crossing permit valid for a period of three months for the crossings of Farkhor and Nizhni-Pyanj; the permission to visit the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast remains the only requirement for the Ishkashim crossing. The new arrangements make it also possible for Tajik citizens, once cleared by the relevant ministry, to obtain a multiple crossing permission to last up to one year.

A British Embassy opened in Dushanbe on 20 December, the first time the UK has a permanent diplomatic representation in Tajikistan. The Embassy will only deal with emergencies and not provide regular consular services.

Distribution of winter boots at Karoul settlement

AFGHANISTAN CRISIS

Despite statements coming from the Afghan side that the IDPs stranded on the flood plains of the river Pyanj would be returning home by the middle of December, families have remained on site and international organisations from Tajikistan have continued their assistance efforts. Schooling in the settlements is organised in tents supplied by UNHCR, while educational activities in them are managed by UNICEF and Save the Children UK. WFP has begun providing a one month food ration to 11,600 beneficiaries on Island no. 9, for a total of 179 tons. The NGO AAR Japan continues the distribution of fresh food with the assistance of ACTED, who has also helped ADRA deliver winter clothing. UNICEF distributed the first of two shipments of American Red Cross funded non food items at the Karoul settlement on island no. 9 along with a second round of immunizations by the medical NGO MERLIN. The distribution included a donation of boots, the result of US President's Bush appeal to American children to donate $1 for displaced children in Afghanistan. The local security situation remains difficult as an 11 year old boy from the settlement was allegedly shot by mistake by a local shepherd. UNHCR continues to monitor the situation at all sites and interacts regularly with local community leaders.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Further discussions were held between the partners and agencies involved in the USAID-sponsored nutritional survey to review the main findings of the report. As anticipated in the last situation update preliminary results would indicate a further deterioration of the situation particularly in areas of the region of Kurgan-Tyube. As the document is now being finalised in London, the scheduled release has been postponed.

WFP plans to use 440 tons of Corn Soya Blend (CSB) in selected schools, particularly those in areas where high chronic malnutrition exists. Such areas include mountainous regions in the whole of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), mountainous areas in Sughd Region as well as hilly/rain fed areas in the Kulyab area of the Khatlon region. In the latter area WFP intends also to embark on a seed multiplication project with seed and fertilizer donated to them by USAID and through CARE; this will accompany WFP's assistance to beneficiaries on land-lease projects.

56 houses built through an emergency shelter project supported in partnership by WFP and Shelter Now International, have been completed. The houses will be used to accommodate 56 families relocated in March 2001 from a mountainous area of GBAO to a site in Qabodian, Khatlon region. The voluntary relocation intended to provide the families with better living conditions by granting arable land in a less demanding environment. Both WFP and SNI have already informed the Government of their inability to provide any further assistance for the wider relocation scheme implemented by the Government.

With the approach of the New Year and the expiry of some of the sub-agreements, WFP requested Implementing Partners to provide specific future plans and proposals to review. In this respect some NGOs have expressed the interest to discuss modes of Food-for Work schemes and appropriate implementation strategies. A deadline for the review of best practices in the Food for Work sector as been extended to the end of January.

FAO completed the training for field veterinarians under the Swedish Government-sponsored veterinary programme. 13 trainees successfully passed final exams and have signed a contract with FAO for the operation of FAO supported veterinary field units and increasing the total number of FAO field units to 255 across Tajikistan.

The FAO irrigation rehabilitation programme funded by Sweden commissioned three irrigation pumping stations in the Kolkhozabad, Gharm and Gissar districts. The three stations combined will benefit a total population of 14,250 persons and an area of 495 hectares of arable land. FAO also completed the rehabilitation of two irrigation canals in Khodjhamaston district.

The polio immunisation campaign has been completed in the Khatlon region and more than 250,000 children aged between 6 months and four years have been covered. In the last stage of the campaign 18 cities and districts in the part of the region bordering Afghanistan were targeted. The Director of the Imunoprophylactic Centre's Branch for Khatlon states that since 1995 with the help of both UNICEF and WHO no cases of polio have been reported, unlike preceding years when the region would expect an average of 9 to 15 cases a year.

Within the UNFPA Reproductive Health sub-programme, a workshop on counseling of midwives was conducted on 6 December 2001, where the participants were trained in basic knowledge of how to provide a qualified contraceptive aid to population as well as familiarization with the main indicators of family planning and demographic situation of the country on the whole.

A round table "Gender issues in education" was conducted with aim to discuss the mechanisms of realization of the State programme "Main Directions of the State policy on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in Tajikistan for 2001-2010". The State Programme was elaborated and published within UNFPA Advocacy sub-programme and adopted by the Government of Tajikistan.

A technical assistance mission within the UNFPA Population Development Strategy (PDS) project has been undertaken. The objective of the mission was to identify research needs and develop an action plan for formulation of the national population policy and a two-day workshop was conducted for the representatives of the different Ministries of the Government.

A ten-day workshop for trainers on "Start and Improve Your Business" program ended yesterday in Dushanbe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and International Labour Organization (ILO) held this training workshop for trainers of several National and International Aid Organizations based in different regions of Tajikistan. 15 successful trainers would now be expected to have enhanced adult learning methodology and knowledge to train ex-combatants, returnees, IDPs and other vulnerable populations in the framework of their activities. The trainers from different organizations are expected to train over 200 ex-combatants in how to establish or run small business. Successful ex-combatants are then given the opportunity to receive small credits of an average of about 500 Somoni (200 USD) for a period of ten months.

UNICEF held an important monthly coordination meeting on December 12 to brief interested parties on the presence of NGOs in the water and environmental sanitation sector in Tajikistan. With such a large geographical spread it was decided to establish regional steering committees in each province. For its part, UNICEF decided to create a database of all WES agencies, complete with their respective activities. The objective of the meeting was not solely aimed at briefing the government on the activities of the NGOs but also to develop a common view and launch a coordinated approach to the sector with relevant government counterparts through the use of appropriate technologies and encouraging community participation. It is hoped that the concerted approach by NGOs, will, with UNICEF's help, make it possible for the creation of a policy paper to the Government. in 2002

UNICEF chairs water sector coordination meeting

RELATIONS/NEGOTIATIONS WITH TAJIK GOVERNMENT

On the 11th of December a second assessment was fielded by members of the Coordination Group on Humanitarian Operations (CGHO) to the port of Nizhni-Pyanj to review progress made in the upgrading of the facilities. The joint UN-Tajik government assessment revealed that there are still some problems left to be resolved, particularly with respect to the final stretch of the access road, a consequence of the port not having been operational for some time. A contract has been signed between WFP and the road department to ensure that necessary repairs are carried out in the shortest time possible. Meanwhile, Russian and Tajik specialists have started work on the pontoon bridge that will span across the river Pyanj; the project is being carried out with financial funding from the German Government. Representatives of the Government of Tajikistan expect the completion of the bridge by the end of January 2002.

According to local press, the Afghan government is in discussions with the Command of the Russian Border Forces stationed in Tajikistan to coordinate and optimize the border protection regime. The largest Afghan border garrison will be in the area of Sherkhan Bandar (the Afghan side of the Nizhni Pyanj crossing) to reflect a greater attention for a crossing likely to witness a large movement of humanitarian cargo soon.

PLEDGES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

DfID has agreed to a 2.2 million GBP in emergency aid for Tajikistan to assist with drought and agricultural recovery work. Of the overall package of humanitarian assistance GBP 1 million will be for recovery operations in the WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation; GPP 400,000 for UNICEF for water and environmental sanitation activities; GPB 500,000 for the IFRC Tajikistan Appeal and a final GBP 300,000 for support to NGOs engaged in livelihood and agricultural activities.

On 20 December representatives of the Government of Japan signed an agreement to donate approximately US$ 1.5 million to UNICEF to combat preventable childhood diseases through immunisation. Under the contribution, Tajikistan will receive an initial 340,000 doses of BCG vaccine, 561,000 does of measles vaccine, 918,000 doses of OPV vaccine and 722,000 doses of DPT vaccine. Additional funds will help provide syringes and needles, cold chain equipment, essential drugs, training for health staff, monitoring efforts, technical assistance, and support for cold chain training, repairs and advocacy.

The Government of Japan has awarded a grant of U.S. $ 182,800 to the northern Tajik city of Khujand. The funds will be spent on the reconstruction of a pump station for drinking water supply in the capital of the Sughd Region and on the repair of two schools.

The Asian Development Bank will allocate U.S. $ 45 million to implement the Tajik Agrarian Sector Development Program including the rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage systems in some districts of the country. This is the second project being implemented by the Ministry in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank. The first one - restoration of the Yavan irrigation system - is due to be completed by January 2002.