GFDD Roundtable with Tajikistan Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E. Ambassador Sirodijin Mukhridnovich Aslov

    As part of the activities leading up to the World water day at he United Nations, Global Foundaton for Democracy and Development hosted a roundtable discussion with Tajikistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Sirodijin Mukhridnovich Aslov with a special focus on the challenges that the country faces with its water resources.
 
The roundtable began with a brief overview by GFDD Executive Director, Natasha Despotovic of Tajikistan’s population, recent history and geographic location as a source of much of the water supply for its neighboring nations.
 
In this regard, Ambassador Aslov underlined the importance in Tajikistan of water and its proper management. He pointed out that the mountainous,
landlocked country’s two main rivers, which flow into what used to be the world’s 4th largest lake (the Aral sea),  supplies 60% of its Central Asian neighbors’ water supplies. He talked about the challenges in managing shared water resources amongst five countries, but said that there is a Ministry dedicated to Water Resource and Improvement and it is also a member of the Inner State Water Coordination Commission, which is responsible for the
allocation of water amongst the five member states.
 
In addition to discussing water issues, the Ambassador touched on Tajikistan’s open foreign door policy, its close trade and investment ties with China and reinforced the strategic importance of its relation to Russia and their shared interest in the Russian Security Strategy.
 
He also pointed out that Tajikistan is one of the countries identified in the Millennium Development Goals and highlighted the advances the country has been making since 2003 in reducing poverty, which has steadily lowered from 60% to 53% in 2009. The country is now implementing the second phase of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and hopes to reach 40% by 2015.
 
Ms. Despotovic, thanked the
Ambassador for coming and on behalf of President of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Leonel Fernandez, invited him to the Dominican republic to impart his expertise of shared water resources to the DR. The Dominican shares its water resources with neighboring Haiti.
 
Mission:

GFDD organizes regular meetings with UN Ambassadors and other prominent figures in the international community 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 series, GFDD Global Roundtable is also a part of GFDD’s program to support the work of the United Nations and, as a non-governmental institution affiliated to it, contribute to the visibility and understanding of its work.

The Global Roundatable is made
possible In close association with the United Nations, the Mission of the Dominican Republic to the UN and South South News.