KHUJAND, December 6, 2008, Asia-Plus  - The project, Youth Parliament of Ferghana Valley, has been launched in the Sughd province. 

In northern Tajikistan, the project is implemented by the Khujand-based public association Youth and Civilization in cooperation with the Center foe Human Right and Democracy under support of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Mission to Tajikistan.

The project is being realized in the frames of Ferghana Valley NGO Network Dolina Mira – Valley of Peace, which has been operating since 2004.  

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the project coordinator Sheroz Sharipov said that the main objective of the project was to promote involvement of youth (students) in the labor migration decision-making process and consolidate their efforts and opportunities to develop dialogue and mutual cooperation through conducting regular sessions of the Youth Parliament and discussing the socially significant issues.    

The project provides for selection of the most active students from Tajik and Kyrgyz universities to “youth parliaments” of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and holding of educational events for raising the knowledge and skill level of their members.  

“It is also supposed to hold debate tournament among members of the Youth Parliament that will be dedicated to problems of labor migration, corruption and quality of education system in Tajikistan,” Sharipov said, noting that they will also hold international conferences to expand dialogue between Tajik and Kyrgyz youth.  

 The most active members of the youth parliament will represent Tajikistan at international conferences of the European Youth Parliament, the project coordinator said.

The Ferghana Valley NGO Network Dolina Mira works to reduce the conflict potential in the Ferghana Valley and build local capacities in order to strengthen regional cooperation.  Dolina Mira is currently comprised of ten NGOs in Kyrgyzstan, six in Uzbekistan, and ten in Tajikistan.  It works on a variety of cross border issues, including cooperation on water, customs checkpoints and trade, poverty alleviation, environmental health issues, militarization, illegal trafficking and extremism.  The network brings together local stakeholders, government, media and the business community, creating project-driven groups to implement on-the-ground technical and social initiatives.