Osh/Brussels, 24 April 2003: The West made serious commitments to the Central
Asian states following the military campaign in Afghanistan, but aid has largely been uncoordinated
and few organisations have a long term strategy. Tajikistan, the poorest state in the region,
threatens to become one of the few countries in the world where children will lag behind their parents
in education. Infant mortality is rising and 30 per cent of children are chronically malnourished.
The state budget in 2003 will be about one tenth of what it was in 1990. The average monthly salary is
less than U.S.$ 7 and more than a million people rely on food aid.
A new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG),
Tajikistan: A Roadmap for Development*, urges the development community to focus on improving
agriculture and the business environment, rescuing the health and education sectors and improving
transport and communications infrastructure. But above all, the government of Tajikistan and the
international community need to take realistic steps to improve governance. The May 2003 World Bank
Consultative Group meeting in Dushanbe provides an opportune moment to raise these issues in an open
dialogue.
ICG's Central Asia Project Director David Lewis said: "Corruption in particular
is undermining all initiatives to boost living standards and stability. In the longer term it is also
essential that attention shifts away from Soviet-style industrial projects to small and medium sized
businesses. This will require an end to government intrusion and better access to credit and advice
for entrepreneurs."
Tajikistan has made major advances in security since the end of its civil war and
stability has improved significantly in the past two years. However widespread poverty is fuelling a
major drug trafficking business and provides a potential breeding ground for Islamist militant groups.
Geography plays its part. Tajikistan shares a long southern border with Afghanistan.
Human development needs are particularly acute. Typhoid is seeing a resurgence in
Tajikistan – a sign of a health system in crisis. School attendance, particularly by girls, has
dropped sharply.
ICG Senior Analyst Kathleen Samuel said: "If Tajikistan is to avoid the fate of
Afghanistan, its very real problems cannot be ignored. Cynical voices in the development community say
things will only get worse. But there are plenty of people within Tajikistan's administration who do
appreciate the need for different approaches. Given the right mixture of government policy and
international assistance, a positive shift is feasible."
MEDIA CONTACTS
Katy Cronin (London) +44-(0)20 7981 0330
email: [email protected]
Francesca Lawe-Davies (Brussels) +32-(0)2-536 00 65
Jennifer Leonard (Washington) +1-202-785 1601
*Read the full ICG report on our website:
www.crisisweb.org
