The Land Reform Project in Tajikistan (LRPT) works with government stakeholders to reform policy and land legislation, provides legal assistance to farmers to improve legal aid, and builds capacity through training and outreach for lawyers, judges, and local government officials on land issues.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST PROJECT YEAR
- Led the Working Group on Structural and Land Reform’s preparation of a comprehensive set of proposed amendments to the Land Code that will create the framework for a market in land use rights;
- Advocated for amendments to the Law on Mortgage to introduce “truth in lending” provisions in line with international best practices;
- Prepared a legislative agenda for the Government of Tajikistan’s (GoT) Agricultural Reform Program that included a specific legislative road map for legislative development in 2011;
- Carried out four public-private dialogues to introduce public participation in land policy development and legislative drafting;
- USAID legal aid centers (LACs) successfully defended their clients in 17 out of 17 court cases with an additional seven cases pending;
- Provided more than 4,000 legal consultations in LAC offices and over 2,600 consultations directly in farmers’ fields on land-related legal issues;
- Conducted 300 local trainings in farmers’ fields on demand-driven topics with more than 5,000 participants;
- Developed and published the following informational brochures: Commentary on the Law on Dehkan Farms, Land Use Contracts for Dehkan Farms, the Reorganization and Creation of Dehkan Farms, and Legislation on Land Relations; and
- Informed farmers and the general public about land rights issues though nine editions of the project newspaper, 21 television programs, and 22 radio programs.