DRC has been operating in Central Asia since 2003 with support of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote the peaceful and democratic development of the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. From 2004 to 2009, DRC was a member of the Central Asia Partnership Group (CAPG), composed of the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) implementing CAPG 1 (from 2005-2007) and CAPG 2 (from 2007-2009) projects funded jointly by DANIDA and Irish Aid.
The main objectives of the CAPG work were to improve asylum systems and standards of refugee protection in Central Asian countries, enhance the role of civil society in Ferghana Valley in mitigating inter-regional and inter-communal tension in this conflict-prone region shared by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and promote state-civil dialogue on the range of issues relating to human rights in general and refugee protection in particular.
The current DRC programme, funded by Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) and by Irish Aid, presents an evolution of CAPG 1 and CAPG 2 projects. Based on an assessment of the impact and lessons learned from these projects, it is focusing on supporting representative and legitimate local civil society, promoting its role in policy making and enhancing a dialogue between civil society and other local stakeholders, including first and most local authorities, in order to strengthen the ability of state institutions to govern according to fundamental democratic principles and values that uphold the rule of law and protect and promote rights.
The specific objectives are supporting conflict prevention and stability in the region by capacitating civil society to minimize the increasing pressure from radicalization and enhancing the protection of the vulnerable refugees’ rights in Tajikistan. This is being achieved through implementation of the following two major components:
Component I seeks to further empower the local NGO network “Dolina Mira”, which has been established with support from the two CAPG projects and already proved to be an influential and viable regional civil society structure reckoned with by central and regional authorities and other stake-holders in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The major focus of the activities is on enhancing dialogue between Dolina Mira and state structures on regional conflict generating issues.
Component II strives to promote refugee protection and durable solution for refugees in Tajikistan. This is being performed through building capacity of NGOs, refugee communities and the relevant state structures in Tajikistan on the issues relating to protection and integration of refugees and strengthening capacity of the government institutions in the formulation and delivery of refugee related policies.
The project has been designed in accordance to DRC’s comprehensive protection strategy, which aims at supporting protection and durable solutions for asylum seekers and refugees, including strengthening of the relevant authorities and their asylum systems. Additionally, it is addresses the issues of equality and democracy, human rights and good governance.
Partners and Donors
The current DRC intervention is supported by DANIDA and Irish Aid.
The project activities are implemented through formal partnership with “Dolina Mira” NGO network and in cooperation with a number of international and local partners including UNHCR and IOM missions in Tajikistan.
