DUSHANBE, February 6, 2014, Asia-Plus -- The Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan notes that the European Union has recently started funding  5 new projects under the “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights" program (EIDHR), for a total amount of EUR 1 397 837.

The general objective of the EIDHR instrument is to contribute to the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms within the framework of the EU policy on development cooperation and economic, financial  and technical cooperation with third countries.  This instrument aims at enabling civil society to become an effective force for defense of human rights and safeguarding democratic principles.

The five selected projects are as follows:

The two-year project  "Migrant Workers and Their Families: Empowered Institutions – Protected Rights" implemented by DanskChurchAid (DCA) aims at promoting and protecting human rights of Tajik migrant workers and members of their families(MWATF) through improved capacity of duty bearers and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and enhanced cooperation among these institutions.

The project will be implemented together with local partners Human Rights Centre, MHaids and Ghamkhori in Dushanbe, Hisor district and Khatlon province.  The Action builds on interventions at three levels: actions at the level of state institutions to regulate labor migration, Civil Society Organizations that will lobby state institutions and influence improvement of labor migration policy and at the level of the final beneficiaries in raising their awareness and empowering to participate in policy making.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in partnership with the Center for Investigative Journalism of Tajikistan (CIJT) and NGO "Perspective +’'' have started working towards “Empowering Media and Civil Society Activists to Support Democratic Reforms in Tajikistan.”  The three years project aims to encourage closer cooperation between leading human rights activists and independent media; improve the capacity of Tajik media to conduct investigative journalism projects and analytical reporting; and stimulate constructive dialogue between human rights CSOs, media, and local and national government officials.

The project  “SECRET: Social-Economic and Cultural Rights of Prisoners and Ex-prisoners in Tajikistan” is designed and will be implemented by the German  NGO Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (dvv international) together with two local partners – Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law and NGO Jahon.  The project will be implemented in Norak (Female Prison #3) and in Dushanbe, Khorog, Khujand and Qurghon Teppa cities (ex-prisoners) over a period of 24 months.  The project aims at strengthening social, economic and cultural rights for one of the most disadvantaged group of the population – female prisoners and ex-prisoners of both genders, by increasing their involvement in learning and production activities within the prison; and providing legal and psychological consultations, personal development trainings and professional orientation consultations for social re-integration.

International Alert'' new two-year project is entitled  “Building bridges: Promoting the Role and Capacity of Civil Society to Close the Gap between  Society and Democratization Processes in Tajikistan.”  Promotion of civil society positions on key policy issues vis-à-vis international institutions and national government representatives; increasing their capacity in policy analysis and advocacy and creation of a safe forum for a diverse group of civil society representatives to engage each other on important policy topics during a crucial parliamentary election cycle are at the core of this action.  Project activities will include research, dialogue events and training workshops that will benefit over 400 members of Tajik civil society.  It is expected that participating civil society representatives will have stronger skills for facilitating dialogue and building consensus, and that as a result greater collaboration will be promoted around key issues.

The purpose of the two-year project “Rapid Response to Protection Threats and Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Stateless Persons in Tajikistan” implemented by Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is to ensure a rapid response to the emergency and immediate legal needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan by provision of legal advice and representation, especially regarding illegal deportation and refoulement; by strengthening the capacity of Tajik legal advocates in refugee law; identifying and referring potential resettlement cases to UNHCR and by conducting refugee community outreach on resettlement issues as well as to improve the protection environment for displaced persons by conducting advocacy work, to strengthen government  duty-bearers and other stakeholders, against illegal deportation and refoulement of refugees and other asylum protection issues.