BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 11. JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) is implementing a project in Tajikistan with the ultimate goal of making the Tajik-Afghan border safe and accessible for legal trade and people's movement, a source at the JICA Tajikistan Office told Trend.
The project is titled "Project for Promoting Effective Border Management Applying a Human Security Approach for Communities of Border Area with Afghanistan in Tajikistan" or the "Border Management Project, Phase III."
Additionally, the project aims to enhance cross-border trade and communication between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
It falls under the category of grant aid through UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and is being carried out from June 2023 to December 2025 with an estimated cost of 514 million Japanese yen (near $3.7 million).
The targeted areas include the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region, Khatlon region, and Dushanbe city, and the project's purpose is to assist the Government of Tajikistan in maintaining an 'open but secure' policy for the Tajik-Afghan border.
This involves establishing border management systems that safeguard and improve the human security of local borderland communities.
Key organizations responsible for the project include UNDP Tajikistan, the State Committee on National Security of Tajikistan, the Customs Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, and the Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan.
The project's activities include enhancing water and power supply systems at the border for the benefit of local communities, conducting trade workshops and awareness campaigns, constructing border posts, and providing equipment and training for online customs systems.
The primary beneficiaries are the border security agency workers and users of the target cross-border market, along with the local residents of these areas.
"Tajikistan, which borders with Afghanistan, plays a crucial role in strengthening the stability and connectivity of the Central Asian region. JICA is also constructing part of the main international highway linking the capital Dushanbe with the Afghan capital Kabul," the source said.
Over the years, JICA has become one of the world's largest bilateral development organizations. It operates through a network of 96 overseas offices and carries out projects in approximately 139 countries and regions.
JICA initially established an office in Tajikistan as a branch of JICA Uzbekistan in 2006 but became an independent JICA office in 2017. In 2022, Japan and Tajikistan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.