The meeting was held to consider the development of the draft Framework for Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Nations for Sustainable Development for 2023-2026, taking into account the country's strategic priorities

On September 21, 2021, under the co-chairmanship of the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zavqizoda Zavqi Amin and the UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan Sezin Sinanoglu with the participation of the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Minister of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population, Chairman of the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management and heads of other relevant ministries and agencies, representatives of UN agencies, a meeting was held to develop a project of cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the UN on sustainable development for 2023-2026, taking into account the country's strategic priorities.

Zavqizoda Z.A. noted that the priority directions of development of the national economy branches for 2021 and the next seven years, which are determined by the Founder of Peace and National Unity- Leader of the Nation, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan H.E. Emomali Rahmon in the next Message to the Majlisi Oli, and also presented the achievements of the country within the framework of the UN Development Assistance Framework for Tajikistan for 2016-2022, in accordance with the national interests of the country.

In particular, it was noted that as a result of measures taken by the Government of the Republic in cooperation with UN agencies and other development partners of the country in terms of ensuring sustainable and balanced economic development for the period 2016-2020, the average statistical development of GDP reached at least 7 percent, the volume of GDP increased by 1.6 times. The share of exports in foreign trade turnover increased from 20% to 31%, while the share of imports decreased from 80 to 69%. As a result, in the last five years, import-substituting products were produced within the country for a total of more than 44 billion somoni, which led to a decrease in the dependence of the consumer market on imported products. Cash incomes of the population increased by 1.9 times, and the number of entrepreneurs - 1.6 times. The poverty rate fell from 31.3% to 26.3%, according to the World Bank. In terms of the rate of poverty reduction, Tajikistan has entered the ranks of the 10 leading countries in the world. The longevity of the population increased by 1.4 years and reached 75.2 years. Mortality of mothers and children during this period decreased by 13.1% and 26.9%, relatively.

In the direction of education development, a significant contribution to expanding the coverage of preschool and secondary education, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the analysis of all educational programs, over 43,000 children were enrolled in preschool education and 6,139 children with physical disabilities through inclusive education. In the area of social protection, as a result of assistance in the development of social protection programs and their implementation, coverage of people in need in social protection programs increased by 60 percent, and in 2020, expenditures on social protection amounted to 6.4% of GDP. In order to ensure environmental sustainability to prevent disasters and support families affected by natural disasters in general, 518,430 people (57% of women) in 20 vulnerable areas were transferred funds from disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change, including conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Ms. Sezin Sinanoglu, UN Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, congratulated the Government of the republic for achieving significant development during the implementation of the UNDAF program and expressed gratitude for effective cooperation and achievement of joint results to support the population of Tajikistan. She also noted that the new cooperation agreement between the government of Tajikistan and the UN is a reflection of our joint commitments for every person in Tajikistan. The principle of the new agreement is to move from "development assistance" to cooperation, and it is a means of shared responsibility for benefits and results. The new agreement aims to access the Sustainable Development Goals and focuses on results. It is an important means for planning and implementing UN development activities and country-level contributions in support of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Economist of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Tajikistan Ovays Parray made a presentation on the overview of the overall analysis of the country, Alexander Mackenzie, International Consultant and Victor Oslavsky, World Health Organization Representative on Strategic Cooperation Priorities, Ana Lukatela, Head of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Tajikistan, and Ms. Nora Sakhatchu, Consultant on regional cooperation of the UN office made speeches on the matter. The audience was presented with presentations on the next steps to develop the Framework for Cooperation and Assistance to the UN Regional Office, and an exchange of views and useful suggestions on these issues took place.

At the end of the event, members of the joint steering committee, including representatives of development partners, as well as ministries and agencies of the country expressed their readiness to jointly develop and effectively implement new projects of the framework cooperation.