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European Union brings relief to the victims of floods in Tajikistan

Pays
Tadjikistan
Sources
ECHO
Date de publication

In response to a series of floods that wreaked havoc across large parts of Tajikistan in early June, the European Union is providing €70,000 EUR (over TJS 750,000) in humanitarian aid funding to assist the most vulnerable communities. The aid will directly benefit 2 750 heavily affected people in some of the hardest hit localities of Khatlon and Sughd provinces.

This EU-funding supports the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan (RCST) in delivering emergency assistance through the distribution of kitchen sets and household kits, including cooking utensils, mattresses, blankets, bed linens, buckets and plastic sheeting. Families whose homes have been completely destroyed or severely damaged will also receive cash grants to enable them to cover their most urgent needs. As water-borne diseases are common in the aftermath of a flood, hygiene promotion materials and campaigns, as well as essential hygiene items, will also be provided to ensure good hygiene practices are well maintained during the recovery period.

The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Between 1 and 7 June, torrential rains caused a series of floods and mudflows in many parts of Tajikistan, adversely affecting over 6 700 people and damaging an estimated 1 000 houses, more than 35% of which were completely destroyed. The provinces of Khatlon and Sughd, located in the west of the country, were the worst hit, accounting for over 90% of the affected population. In addition to personal assets, impacted communities have also lost food supplies and livestock. Arable lands, which constitute the main source of livelihood in this predominantly agricultural region, have been extensively damaged.

Background – European Union Humanitarian aid

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the European Union helps over 120 million victims of conflicts and disasters every year. For more information, please visit ECHO's website.

The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of EUR 3 million.

For further information, please contact:

Pierre Prakash, Regional Information Officer for Asia and the Pacific, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): Pierre.Prakash@echofield.eu

The European Union, composed of 28 Member States, is the world’s largest aid donor. Tajikistan receives the main share of EU's bilateral assistance to Central Asia: €251 million for 2014-2020. During this period, the development cooperation between the EU and Tajikistan covers three key sectors: education - focusing on secondary general education and TVET, health – focusing on Primary Healthcare and Health Financing, and rural development - including support to agrarian reform, rural entrepreneurship, irrigation and water sector reform, as well as promoting natural resources management. The EU also supports reforms of the country's governance systems, trade policies and Public Finance Management.

Tajikistan also receives regional and thematic assistance in areas like border management, drug control, education, democracy and human rights, non-State actors, energy, transport, SME development, peace and stability, and water/environment/nuclear safety. The EU has been active in Tajikistan since 1992 and provides approximately EUR 35 million annually in development assistance in grants.