Commission allocates €6 million for humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups in Tajikistan

FR - DE

The European Commission has approved a €6 million humanitarian aid package to continue meeting the forgotten needs of vulnerable communities throughout the Republic of Tajikistan. These funds are being allocated through DG Humanitarian Aid - ECHO, a service of the European Commission under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel. The assistance provided will focus on three main areas of intervention - health, drinking water and sanitation, and food. Projects funded with this package will be implemented by international agencies and NGO's operating in the country. ECHO has been continuously providing aid for humanitarian interventions to Tajikistan since 1992, in which time it has allocated over EUR 153 million.

Despite recent improvements in economic growth and stability over the last few years, Tajikistan continues to have humanitarian needs that remain largely forgotten by the international community. Tajikistan is the poorest of the Central Asian republics, with 64% of the population living on less than USD 2.15 per day. Chronic malnutrition in children is around 30% throughout the country without improvement since 2002, access to safe drinking water remains limited, access to health services is deteriorating in some areas, and health indicators remain amongst the worst in the world. New threats also continue to emerge, such as from malaria and HIV/AIDS.

This package targets the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly and children. Around 13,000 people will receive food aid, over 15,000 children under five will receive supplementary feeding, and a further 2,500 rural households will benefit from cash for work projects. Access to drinking water and sanitation facilities will be improved for some 200,000 people through the rehabilitation or construction of over 200 water and sanitation systems, while the whole population stands to benefit from improved access to primary health care. Interventions will include awareness raising, education and training, capacity-building of local communities, development of coordination mechanisms and hand-over of some activities to the relevant authorities. Whilst projects will operate throughout the country, there will be a particular emphasis on the poorest region, Khatlon.

This Decision marks the second stage of a three-year phasing out strategy for ECHO, reflecting improvements in the general humanitarian situation and greater engagement by other development actors and the government. ECHO's phasing out strategy is co-ordinated with the activities of other Commission instruments, such as EuropeAid, which are also providing essential assistance to help alleviate poverty and contribute to Tajikistan's Millennium Development Goals.

| Top |

• Central Asia: EU Commission helps to promote stability and security  (3/1/2006)
• EU Presidency declaration on the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan (4/3/2005)
• EU humanitarian aid for flood relief in south Asia and Tajikistan (28/7/2004)
• EU Presidency declaration on the progress in Tajikistan towards a moratorium on the death penalty (16/6/2004)