Strengthening Rule of Law and Human Rights to Empower People in Tajikistan, Phase III

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

UNDP Tajikistan’s “Strengthening Rule of Law and Human Rights to Empower People in Tajikistan – Phase III” project is the follow-on to the earlier phases, which were implemented 2014-2022. The main objective is to guarantee access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized persons, such as rural women and people with disabilities. During previous phases, system of free legal aid (FLA) was established with the help of Finnish and Swiss funding and law for free legal aid was accepted. In the phase III the aim is to secure sustainability of the FLA system so that it can be run and financed by the government of Tajikistan. Despite the progress in the legislative sphere and the commitment by the Government of Tajikistan to the reforms, key challenges remain in relation to their implementation, in particular lack of financial means and weak institutional and professional capacities. Key activities of the project include the provision of free legal aid, and the gradual transition to a government-operated and government-funded system of free legal aid; the support of Tajikistan’s accession to, and compliance with, various international human rights conventions; continuing support and capacity building of the Tajik Ombudsman’s Office, and support for policy dialogues on Rule of Law issues at a regional / provincial level across Tajikistan. Finnish funding is 1,7 million euros for 2018-2021.