OCHA Situation Report No. 39
Tajikistan
3 October 2003


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

GENERAL

IOM Report "Labour migration from Tajikistan" reveals one in four Tajik
households has a family member working overseas, mostly in Russia (total
of between 600,000-900,000), total remittances estimated at US$200-230 m
in 2002.

World Bank launched a Regional Support Strategy "Averting AIDS Crises in
Eastern Europe and Central Asia"

Major events and visits:

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation sessions: Prime Ministers in Beijing,
Economy and Trade Ministers in Cholpon-Ata, General Prosecutors in
Bishkek, Foreign Affairs Ministers in Tashkent

CIS sessions: Heads of States and Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Yalta,
Interior Ministers in Dushanbe, Chiefs of Border Forces in Chisinau, Heads
of Consular Departments in Astana

Chinese Foreign Minister visited to discuss bi-lateral relations

French Minister of Industry discussed a joint mining industry survey

NATO Secretary General discussed security cooperation and the situation in
Afghanistan

Ambassadors of Bangladesh and Malaysia presented credentials to President
Rahmanov

World Peace Day, 21 September -UNTOP marked the day with a number of
cultural and media events

The National Red Crescent Societies of Central Asia held a regional
conference in Dushanbe

Donors' missions:

IDB international investment conference in Dushanbe

ADB conference on environment issues/programmes in Tajikistan

New World Bank Vice-President made a familiarization visit

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

FOOD SECURITY

The harvest season is coming to a close and some agencies are in
preparations to assist vulnerable groups to be ready for "lean period" -
for example, Mission East started targeting process for food and
agricultural inputs distribution combined with training for 4000 most
vulnerable families in various districts of Khatlon region.

WFP: School Feeding Programme - new cycle started to serve more than
336,000 students, teachers and support staff in 1,707 schools countrywide;
FFW - Water supply and irrigation projects completed in three villages of
Shugnan, GBAO; new Wheat Seeds Multiplication programme - 105 ha selected
for development in Khatlon.

Land Reform - State land committee, IMF, FAO, UNIFEM and local and
international NGOs agreed to establish a joint working group to monitor
the controversial process of land reform implementation.

UNIFEM provided orientation training for women committees/Land committees
in the framework of its Land Rights project.

Animal Health - In response to high prevalence of brucellosis (5.47% in
Direct Rule Districts and Khatlon) FAO has been conducting training for
Veterinarian Service research laboratories.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

The Ministry of Health supported by Sino Project appointed a group of
local experts to work on curricula design and staffing requirements for
family medicine training.

Focus on Psychiatric institutions

Official statistics note about 40,000 mentally ill people in Tajikistan,
while doctors suggest many more tens of thousands of people in Tajikistan
need help. There are 16 psychiatric institutions in the country taking
care of 1,000 patients. The Law on Psychiatric Care guarantees the rights
of persons suffering from mental disorders to medical and social
assistance. Following independence the Tajik Psychiatric Care system
collapsed. A number of acute and regular needs remain, including food
shortages, which have led to malnutrition amongst patients, a lack of
psychotropic drugs, basic medical care, absence of occupational therapy,
lack of staff, collapsed of water and sanitation systems and poor
maintenance of premises.

MSF has been providing emergency assistance to the psychiatric
institutions since 1997. MSF plan to cease all operations in Tajikistan at
the end of 2003 and have been handing over key support functions for the
psychiatric institutions to other partners. PSF CI will assume
responsibility for drugs distributions to combat infectious diseases. WFP
will continue to support the nutritional needs of patients together with
the Ministry of Health. Seeking to promote longer-term reform for the
psychiatric institutions, along with highlighting the social protection
obligations of the Tajik Government, MSF held an advocacy event, including
a photo exhibition titled 'Will you remember me?' Successful follow up to
this event included a meeting called by the Presidential Aid Coordination
Unit together with the Minister of Health and MSF to discuss the
coordination of assistance and preliminary reform issues.

WATER AND SANITATION

Mission East supported communities to rehabilitate water supply facilities
in Shurabod, Khatlon and held a health education campaign in schools and
villages.

EDUCATION

CADA provided free email/Internet services through its Public access
centres in Dushanbe, Kulyab, Khorog, Kurgan-Teppa, Istravshan, Khujand and
Penjikent, along with web training and computer courses in all major
universities and the Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

CARE worked with communities to complete hazard identification and
vulnerability assessments in 4 jamoats of Varzob district, an area
regularly affected by flooding, land and mudslides. The survey was
conducted as part of their Disaster Preparedness and Action Plan Project.

PLEDGES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

   $5 m. from USA for basic education projects.
   $54,000 from Japan for monitoring station at the Lake Sarez
   $110m. loan from ADB for social and economic programs

According to the State Property Committee of Tajikistan, the total volume
of aid received by Tajikistan during the first seven months of 2003 is
137,000 MT valued at US$ 91m.

Update on CAP 2003 (as of 3 October)

|---------+---------+-------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------|
|Original | Revised | Carry |Pledge|Contribut|  Total  |  Unmet  |   %   |
|Requireme|Requireme| over  |  s   |  ions   |resources|Requireme|Covered|
|   nts   |   nts   |       |      |         |available|   nts   |       |
|---------+---------+-------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------|
|62,006,30|61,968,68|       |500,00|26,208,30|47,323,26|14,645,42|  76.4%|
|        9|        5|20,614,|     0|        9|        4|        1|       |
|         |         |    955|      |         |         |         |       |
|---------+---------+-------+------+---------+---------+---------+-------|


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