Government and United Nations in Tajikistan met to discuss financing framework for achievement of national priorities and SDGs

The Government of Tajikistan and the United Nations are partnering on a new initiative launched in the context of this meeting to improve the financing framework and resource mobilization for the National Development Strategy 2016-2030 and national SDG targets. This initiative focuses on improving alignment between planning and financing processes, conducting analyses of public expenditures in key sectors in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of financing, and improving partnerships with the private sector to increase investments in sectors of the economy that have a positive social impact.

Both the Government and the United Nations reiterated that it will not be possible to meet national development objectives without a significant increase in financing from both domestic and international sources, and especially increasing the share of private financing and investment in Tajikistan. While the COVID-19 crisis has created great hardship and increased the need for resources to finance development goals, it has also created new opportunities with many countries reviewing how they plan to finance their development goals and exploring new approaches that blend different types of financing. This remains an area of great untapped potential for Tajikistan.

The partnership on financing the SDGs is supported by the UN Joint SDG Fund and brings together the integrated policy advice of UNICEF, UNDP and UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Finance, State Committee on Investments and State Property Management, Ministry of Education and Science, the Lower Chamber of Parliament, other relevant state organizations, local governments, development partners and the private sector.  

Opening the meeting, Mr. Ashurboy Solehzoda - First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade expressed his gratitude to the UN agencies and other partners for their support and efforts in the area of enhancing financing policy, addressing financial gaps and resource mobilization to achieve national priorities and the SDGs and hoped to further strengthen cooperation.

Mr. Oleg Guchgeldiyev, UN Resident Coordinator a.i. in Tajikistan noted “Many countries are reviewing their national financing frameworks and identifying how they can attract innovative types of financing to achieve their SDG targets. Public financing and official development assistance (ODA) will not be sufficient to finance the achievement of the SDGs.”

The UN Joint SDG Fund supports countries to accelerate their progress towards the SDGs and to deliver on the commitment of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind. The UN Joint SDG Fund is funded by the European Union, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. More information on the UN Joint SDG Fund is available at https://www.jointsdgfund.org/