DUSHANBE, April 12, Asia-Plus - National conference entitled “Development of Civic Society in Tajikistan: Realities and Prospects” opened in Dushanbe today.

The conference, staged by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Tajikistan and international non-government organization Allavida (UK), is considering issues related to partnership between the civic society organizations and Tajik authorities, prospects of development of philanthropic activity in the country, as well as role of international organizations in development of civic society in Tajikistan.

Nodira Davlatova, a specialist with the AKDN civic society development support program for Central Asia, said that the main objective of the conference is in disseminating the main learns and recommendations taken from a survey on important role of civic society in the development process that had been conducted by Allavida in all regions of Tajikistan over the past six months.  

Allavida is an international development organization that works to enable local action.  Its mission is to help people acquire the skills, knowledge, confidence and resources to lead local action and achieve constructive change in their communities.

Allavida''s main development programs are in South East Europe, East Africa, and Central Asia. In each region its work encompasses grantmaking, training and mentoring, research and publishing, support for associations and networks, and convening seminars.

Allavida works through and with a shifting alliance of international, national and local organizations and associations, individual consultants, academics and researchers. This loose, informal alliance shares a commitment to sharing information and ideas, stimulating creative responses to local need, and collaborating whenever possible around common agendas.