Author: Ardshir

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, completed her first official country visit last week, to Tajikistan. This visit comes nearly two years after her predecessor canceled a planned trip to the country after the government failed to extend an official invitation. Ghanea’s visit is a fresh opportunity for Tajikistan to address its many shortcomings on protecting the fundamental right of freedom of religion or belief. Since 2012, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Tajikistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” or…

A new study on the mental health of migrants in Tajikistan has found a gap in mental health services for returning migrants. The research – the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of migration on Tajik migrants’ mental health – was conducted by IOM Tajikistan and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan. It sets out to identify problems Tajik migrant workers face when seeking psychological care and looks at commonly-reported symptoms that could indicate mental distress. These often manifest through a wide range of symptoms, leaving possible mental health problems undetected.…

UNESCO and the EU are pleased to invite you to the ‘National workshop on Competency-based Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Curriculum’ to be held on 27-28 April 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This workshop is the first in a series of workshops organized by UNESCO and funded by the European Union. Tajikistan has made significant efforts to ensure universal access to education and is strongly committed, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4, to ensure high quality and accessible education to all throughout life and to provide the country’s economy with competent workers, appropriate infrastructure, and modern and…

A panhandling president is unaccountable to his Western benefactors. The government of Tajikistan is so cash-starved that it can barely afford to feed its people or provide them with drinking water. It does, however, have enough money to buy the president his own plane. International organizations have attributed the most recent decline in living standards in Tajikistan to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The double whammy of shrinking remittances sent home by Tajik migrant laborers in Russia and inflation risks, according to one estimate, tipping around 800,000 people into severe food insecurity. It was against that backdrop that the…

On April 8, 2023, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zavqizoda Zavqi Amin took part in the first meeting of ministers responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities “China and the countries of Central Asia” via videoconference. The main purpose of the meeting is to look for opportunities to strengthen multilateral cooperation, increase the volume of mutual trade, attract foreign investment, and create joint ventures. This was reported in the press service of the ministry. At the meeting, specific proposals were presented on the development of cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, digital trade, investment, development of transport…

UNESCO and the EU are pleased to invite you to the ‘National workshop on Competency-based Education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Curriculum’ to be held on 27-28 April 2023, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This workshop is the first in a series of workshops organized by UNESCO and funded by the European Union. Tajikistan has made significant efforts to ensure universal access to education and is strongly committed, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4, to ensure high quality and accessible education to all throughout life and to provide the country’s economy with competent workers, appropriate infrastructure, and modern and…

A recent Chinese government decision to raise the status of international law studies has potentially significant implications for China and its foreign relations. Its acceptance of the need to upgrade its capacity in international law is not likely to be driven by a new-found desire to abide by it. Rather, it is likely to stem from more practical political motives, such as defending against its use by Western powers, particularly when it comes to the law of the sea, and an intention to emulate them by using international law to protect China’s interests and achieve its goals. International law is…

Kazakhstan became a member of the United Nations on March 2, 1992. In 31 years, Kazakhstan has gone from joining the organization to chairing a session of the General Assembly. Over these decades, Kazakhstan has contributed to many aspects of the UN’s work across the globe. In this article, we look back at some of the key moments and initiatives of the Kazakhstan-UN cooperation.  31 years of partnership Kazakhstan was unanimously admitted to the UN at the 46th session of the UN General Assembly on March 2, 1992. The accession marked the international recognition of state sovereignty and Kazakhstan’s independence.…

The 2023 LIV Golf season has reportedly been a bit different than the first. As Alan Shipnuck of the Firepit Collective has reported, there has been an effort to roll back some of the extravagant expenses that LIV Golf pays for and put the burden of travel and lodgings on the teams themselves. Shipnuck also reports that there’s been talks about even more of the prize money being put towards the team aspect of the competition and less on the individuals. Shipnuck quoted an anonymous player about these changes. “Some guys thought their contracts for this year are for 10…

Residents of a number of countries felt the earthquake that occurred in Afghanistan. According to eyewitnesses, furniture shook and chandeliers swayed in the houses, TASS reports. In India, tremors were recorded in the northern states. In New Delhi, some residents left their homes and gathered on the streets. In addition, a magnitude 5 earthquake was registered in Tajikistan. The epicenter was located 268 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, in neighboring Afghanistan. Tremors are also reported in Uzbekistan and the capital of Pakistan. In Kazakhstan, the magnitude of the earthquake was 3 points. Source: Gazeta