User:Armaanismail/Tajikistan and the World Bank

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Post the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan received $1.4 billion investment from the World Bank to improve people's lives and reduce poverty. Over the past decades, the partnership with the World Bank has helped Tajikistan to evolve in line with changes in the global economy and local needs. Initially, the World Bank only helped the country in the reconstruction process after the civil war and provided funding in response to natural disasters and food security. At the beginning of 2000, the World Bank started making investments in Tajikistan to create job opportunities through better access to healthcare, safe drinking water, improved education, diversification of agriculture, improved business environment, enhanced land rights, and restore productivity led growth.

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After the economic shock between 2008 and 2014, which affected Tajikistan through lower prices for export commodities and reduced remittances, The World Bank invested in the country to promote income generation opportunities and protecting the poorest households in the rural regions. The World Bank subsequently provided funding to Tajikistan to support the reforms of the second generations in energy, education, agriculture, and health, to improve the quality of services accessed by the population. During the same period, the World Bank worked together with the private sectors, development partners, civil society, and the government of Tajikistan to promote private investment to increase job opportunities, improve the business environment and establish a condition for sustainable economic growth of the country. The World Bank currently aims to support the transition of Tajikistan to a new growth model led by export and investments. The active portfolio of the World Bank in Tajikistan includes 18 regional projects with an income generation of $560 million.

The World Bank portfolio with the largest share in Tajikistan is the energy sector with 44%, then water with 16%, and finally rural and urban development with 12%. Other sectors that the World Bank support in the country include health education, social protection, governance, transport, and agriculture. Currently, the World Bank and Tajikistan discuss the strategic priorities to be jointly addressed and implemented under the new Country Partnership Framework for 2019-23. These strategic priorities aim to support the efforts of the country to transform its industrial innovations and its economy under Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy to 2030.

Tajikistan joined International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 1994. IFC is the largest global development institute under the membership of the World Bank Group. Since 1997, Tajikistan has received over $152 million investment from IFC to support regional projects in the retail, financial, manufacturing, hydropower, and tourism sectors.The IFC's advisory activities aim to promote the development of private sectors, improve the business environment, promote electronics, support agribusiness, strengthen financial sectors, involve private sectors in infrastructure development, and promote digital financial services. The investment portfolio in Tajikistan is estimated at $32 million. The current portfolio involves 37% in telecommunication and 45% in the financial market, while the rest is channeled to agribusiness, food, and retail.

World Bank has greatly invested in research to understand Tajikistan concerning its development experiences and share it with advisory and analytical services. Since 2000, over 100 publications have been produced in Tajikistan. Additionally, the advisory services of the World Bank have brought international experience to Tajikistan regarding development in the health, agricultural, education, and energy sectors.