DUSHANBE, November 27, 2014, Asia-Plus – The Opening Ceremony of the project, Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS Phase II), financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with participation of local authorities of the city of Kulob, affiliated organizations of concerned ministries and agencies, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxfam Great Britain (Oxfam) in Tajikistan, took place in the conference hall of the Kulob mayor’s office on November 26.

According to the UNDP CO in Tajikistan, the objectives of the opening ceremony were to provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the Local Executive Branch of State Power of Kulob and UNDP towards improving access to drinking water supply and sanitation in Kulob Jamoats.

Participants of the event, in particular, got acquainted with the goals and objectives of the project TajWSS Phase II, mechanisms of implementation for the Trust Fund designed for drinking water supply and sanitation projects, as well as with the current state of drinking water supply and sanitation sector.

During the concluding part of the event, the official ceremony of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Local Executive Branch of State Power of Kulob Cit and UNDP was held.  The purpose of the MoU is to outline the common vision and mutual responsibilities of the Parties in the framework of TajWSS project towards improving sustainable access to drinking water supply and sanitation for rural residents of Kulob district.

In the framework of this cooperation UNDP intends to support the Kulob mayor’s office to implement the projects on rehabilitation/construction and/or reconstruction of drinking water supply and sanitation systems in the Kulob Jamoats, and thereby, improve access to drinking water and sanitation services for more than 4,500 rural residents.

The support will be provided through the Trust Fund for drinking water supply and sanitation to be established at the district level under management of Kulob Hukumat.  The Water Trust Fund is intended to combine various funding sources, attracted for implementation of projects on construction, maintenance and development of drinking water supply and sanitation systems for population of the district; and is to be established to improve level of services and sustainability of investments to the given sector.

The Water Supply and Sanitation in Tajikistan Project (TajWSS) is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented in partnership by Oxfam GB in Tajikistan and the UNDP. Currently, since 2014, the Second Phase of the project is being implementation in Roudaki, Muminobod and Kulob districts.

TajWSS project seeks to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation in rural areas by improving the sustainability of the water and sanitation sector.

UNDP’s specific role in the project is to strengthen policy development and reform at the national level in the sphere of drinking water supply and sanitation management and governance in Tajikistan.  UNDP will enable this through providing support to the government, through the Inter-Ministerial

Coordination Group (IMCG) on drinking water supply and sanitation and alongside the TajWSS Network of Stakeholders in the development of legislative frameworks and institutional strengthening.

Further to support the policy and governance initiatives at the national level, UNDP jointly with Oxfam will extend to pilot model approach interventions at the district level bridging the policy and governance interventions at the rural setting.  While Oxfam GB will scale-up interventions in districts of Muminobod and Roudaki, UNDP will follow similar approach in Kulob district.  As in Phase I, Phase II will focus on improving the governance and management structures and policies associated with the supply of rural drinking water and sanitation in order to increase sustainability.

Through the Trust Fund for drinking water supply and sanitation sector, UNDP will develop at least three drinking water supply and sanitation systems and will build capacities for district regulating agencies, service providers, and individuals participating in decision making processes towards improving their ability to implement innovative approaches and effective management models in the given sector.

Improved sanitation is considered a priority activity for the given phase of the project, which includes development of safe waste-water utilization; toilets for rural schools, clinics, and other public places; households to support public health, establishment of realistic minimum standards, guiding principles and norms of sanitation, and water quality.