Gender and Development

Tajikistan

Regional trade is a key factor in accelerating economic growth and reducing poverty in landlocked and resource poor countries of Central Asia. In Tajikistan, the civil war following independence in the 1990s caused significant destruction of basic social infrastructure and resulted in a high level of poverty. Schools, medical clinics and some water and electricity supply systems were restored to a minimal level during post-conflict rehabilitation. However, the road infrastructure has not been rehabilitated and is subject to frequent damage from floods and landslides. The poor condition of the roads discourages in-country and regional trade and inhibits the population from accessing markets, other economic opportunities and basic social services. ADB’s Dushanbe-Kyrgyz Border Road Rehabilitation Project Phase II was designed to improve people’s welfare and livelihoods by reducing the constraints to trade caused by poor road conditions and thereby facilitating regional trade and cooperation.

Objectives and Scope

The Dushanbe-Kyrgyz Border Road Rehabilitation Project Phase II was approved on 17 November 2005 for $29.5 million. Additional $500,000 is provided as an Asian Development Fund-IX grant to implement the HIV/AIDS and Migration component. The project aimed to improve sustainable regional and national road networks to facilitate regional trade and economic growth. It will improve central and border sections of the Dushanbe-Kyrgyz road which is an integral part of a regional road network in Central Asia that directly links Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, People’s Republic of China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This network is also part of a broader road network that provides links to ocean ports of Iran and Pakistan to the south and to the Russian Federation to the north. The Project components include:

1. Road Rehabilitation: improvement of 89 km of central and border sections of the Dushanbe-Kyrgyz border road and 60 km of rural roads; improved sustainability of Tajikistan’s road network through increased financing of road maintenance, procurement of road maintenance equipment, installation of vehicle weighing systems and implementation of pilot cases of tendering road maintenance.



2. Capacity Building of Ministry of Transport (MOT): institutional strengthening of MOT,improved governance in MOT through the strengthening of its accounting department, and improved road safety through the strengthening of the Transport Safety and Security Unit of MOT.



3. HIV/AIDS and Migration: to develop an integrated, community based and gender responsive approach to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) which may increase as a result of increased connectivity and mobility during road construction and after Project completion.

Framework for Gender and Development Activities

Although men and women had significant economic and social status under the former Soviet Union, gender equality has suffered since independence. Privatization has increased unemployment; subsequent civil war has reduced access to resources; and, traditional gender roles have become stronger limiting girls’ access to education, skills training, markets and resources such as land and information. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of women are engaged in agriculture (cropping) and 13% in livestock rearing. Women’s incomes are 60% that of men. The lack of connectivity between national highways and rural feeder roads critically affects women’s access to basic social services (education and health facilities) and markets in highly traditional rural communities. Economic stagnation and rising unemployment during and after Tajikistan’s civil war have also led to a rapid rise in cross border seasonal migration mainly for men. While remittances serve as the largest source of household income, migrant workers are a high risk category for contracting HIV and other STIs when they have multiple partners during work seasons abroad. Although Tajikistan is at an early stage of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the increased connectivity and mobility during construction and after project completion may increase local communities’ exposure to HIV/AIDS and other STIs.

Gender-Inclusive Design

The Project was designed with consideration for gender and social concerns. The Project is expected to indirectly affect women through enhanced connectivity and access to education and health facilities; increased mobility to towns, increased marketability of their products (fruits and vegetables), increased access to jobs in local markets and increased access to information. Women will particularly have direct positive impact by the adoption of an integrated and community based approach to HIV/AIDS and migration targeting local communities and high risk groups. Key activities under the HIV/AIDS and Migration component include:

1. Capacity Development for Local Government Agencies and NGOs: training local government authorities (Departments of Health, Education, Labor and Social Protection, Statistics Committees and Women’s Committees) and enforcement agencies (police and border guards) to effectively implement the Government’s policies, strategies and regulations on HIV/AIDS and other STIs, anti-trafficking and the regulation of migration.



2. Behavior Change and Communication for Local Communities and High-Risk Groups: culturally sensitive initiatives to reduce risks along the road corridor and establish an environment conducive to maintaining safe sexual practices among seasonal migrants, women, intravenous drug users, sex workers, local business owners, and transport and construction operators.



3. Clinical Support: the provision of HIV testing kits and STI treatment packages to health clinics to help them meet the incremental needs of mobile populations and local communities; and training health workers and laboratory technicians for clinical management of STIs.

Guidance on Gender and Development Activities

The MOT will monitor the project impacts on women throughout implementation in consultation with local governments, women’s associations and NGOs. MOT will

• ensure women’s participation during all phases of project implementation
• encourage local contractors to employ women in project activities with equal pay to men and provide safe working conditions for male and female workers
• require all civil works contractors to include information in local languages on the risks of STIs (i.e. HIV/AIDS in health and safety programs for all construction workers at campsites