Second GFDD Global Roundtable: His Excellency Sirodjidin Aslov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations

On February 28, 2011 at 1pm, the second GFDD Global Roundtable, presents: His Excellency Sirodjidin Aslov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations.

GFDD organizes regular meetings with UN Ambassadors and other prominent figures in the international community at its New York office in an effort to spread the news, knowledge and understanding of
other countries, global issues and work of different United Nations bodies to its audience in the Dominican Republic, the US and around the world. The monthly program, GFDD Global Roundtable is also a part of GFDD’s goal to support the work of the United Nations and, as a non-governmental organization with consultative status, contribute to the visibility and understanding of its work.

Tajikistan: A former Soviet Republic, became
independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is a landlocked, rugged, mountainous country, with lush valleys to the south and north, and is located in Central Asia, west of China.

Tajiks are the country”s largest ethnic group, with Uzbeks making up a quarter of the population, over half of which is employed in agriculture and just one-fifth in industry. The population is currently 7.5 million. The Tajik language is very close to Persian, spoken in Iran, and to Dari,
spoken in Afghanistan.

The five-year civil war between the Moscow-backed government and the Islamist-led opposition, in which thousands were killed and over one-tenth of the population fled the country, ended in 1997 with a United Nations-brokered peace agreement.

Attention by the international community since the beginning of NATO intervention in neighboring Afghanistan has bought increased economic development and security assistance to Tajikistan. It
is also in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO Partnership for Peace.

In honor of World Water Day, which will take place at the United Nations on March 21 and which, in 2011 will be presided over by Tajik Prime Minister, H.E. Oqil Ghaybulloyevich Oqilov, the Global Roundtable will focus on modern day challenges that Tajikistan faces with a particular emphasis on the role the country’s
water supply plays in the health, food security, and sustainable development of the nation.

The half hour news program, hosted by Executive Director Natasha Despotovic, and produced by South South News, serves part of the Foundation”s mission to Promote face-to-face interactions and networking between the UN, the GFDD and the GFDD’s related internet community in the US, Latin America and Europe.

GFDD encourages you to be an active part of the
discussion by submitting your questions to the Ambassador in advance. Please fill out the accompanying form by February 25, 2011.