2009 PRESS RELEASES
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The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Olimjon Boboev (left), and USAID Country Director for Tajikistan, Mr. Jeffrey Lehrer (right), Dushanbe, Tajikistan, October 22, 2009.
USAID PROMOTES ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS ON IMPROVING TRANSPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE
October 21, 2009, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Olimjon Boboev, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Country Director for Tajikistan, Mr. Jeffrey Lehrer, opened a conference on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport Agreements.
The conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the USAID Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs program. The purpose of the conference was to discuss how Tajikistan’s participation in the five agreements, all of which are currently under consideration by the Government of Tajikistan, would increase trade in the country. The benefits of accession to the UNECE agreements include easier movement of goods across borders, increased trade turnover and economic benefits for the people of Tajikistan in the form of lower prices on imports and greater income from exports.
The UNECE Transport Agreements seek to harmonize cross-border transport regulations on border controls and regulations related to transport workers, vehicle standards and the handling of foodstuffs and hazardous goods. Accession to these agreements by Tajikistan will simplify the transit of goods across borders, which will stimulate trade. International experience has shown that increasing the quantity of trade will lower the price of imported goods to consumers while increasing the country’s income from exports.
The resolution to be signed at the close of the conference will prioritize key activities for the ratification and implementation of these transport conventions and for the enforcement, and will include a list of new conventions recommended for further consideration by the Government of Tajikistan. This resolution will be the basis for further cooperation between USAID and the Ministry of Transport and Communications to improve and expand trade links between Tajikistan and its neighbors and to bring increased economic benefits to the citizens of the country.
USAID Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs Project (RTLC) is one of the many assistance projects made possible by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 1993, the American people, through USAID, have provided more than $300 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education and economic growth.
