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Map of Asia |
Email this citationCIAO DATE: 06/04
Tajikistan: A Roadmap for Development
April 10, 2003
Abstract
Tajikistan's experience in ending a brutal civil war and integrating opposition factions into government has won deserved praise. Major advances have been made in security around the country, and stability has improved significantly over the past two years. Yet the economic situation remains dire; Tajikistan is one of the twenty poorest countries in the world. Widespread poverty continues to fuel a major drugtrafficking business and provides potential breeding grounds for Islamist militant or other extremist groups. There is a serious need to use development assistance to build a viable state in this geopolitically vital part of Central Asia.
The development community should focus on priority areas and work together to ensure real impact from limited resources. Traditional areas such as improving agriculture; boosting the business environment; rescuing health and education systems; knitting the country together with new infrastructure and communications; and combating the drugs trade, should be high on the development agenda. But above all, the government and the international community need to take some realistic steps to improve governance, and in particular tackle corruption, which is undermining all initiatives to improve living standards and stability.
