Third Quarterly Performance Report, FY 2018: Feed the Future Tajikistan Land Market Development Activity

The project's integrated strategy includes expert support from international and local land market specialists to develop the legal basis for land market development. This involves drafting and presenting regulations, standards, and legal instruments to relevant government agencies and institutions. The project's first task focuses on improving the legal instruments pertaining to land. Highlights of the reporting period include the drafting and presentation of the regulation on right of alienation to the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Land Policy (IMWG) on May 18, 2018. The regulation was developed with the support of the project's short-term Land Legislation Expert, Mr. Robert Cemovich. Under the project's second task, the Council on Appraising and Association on Independent Appraisers drafted and secured approval for three national appraisal standards. The project engaged its short-term Appraisal Expert, Ms. Nina Ignatenko, who provided recommendations covering both the standards and internal documents developed by the Association with project support. The finalized drafts of the standards were submitted to the Council on Appraising for review on June 28, 2018. The project also supported the training of district-level registration specialists on service provision and recent updates to land legislation. LMDA helped establish a State Unitary Enterprise for Registration of Immovable Property (SUERIP) training center in Bokhtar, which officially opened on May 30, 2018. The center will allow for the training of 105 district-level SUERIP staff in Khatlon region on the new simplified procedures for immovable property registration. Under the project's fourth task to increase knowledge and protection of land rights, grantee public organization (PO) "Network of Tashabbuskors" continued to provide information services on land reform to rural populations. Additional PO grantees trained farmers in modules covering women's rights to land, registration of immovable property, property rights of dehkan farms, and lease of land use rights in twelve districts of Khatlon region. The project also continued its efforts to disseminate information on the land reform process via various media channels. LMDA worked with grantee PO "Neksigol Mushovir" to publish the monthly Agroinform TJ newspaper, and subcontractor LLC "Simoi Mustaqili Tojikiston" to prepare and broadcast television and radio programs in Khatlon region. The project's approach to achieving results begins and ends with a clear understanding of the development challenge and corresponding activities. The project's activities focus on 12 districts of Khatlon region, and the project's integrated strategy includes expert support from international and local land market specialists to develop the legal basis for land market development. The project's accomplishments during the reporting period include the organization of a roundtable with the participation of 17 members of the Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan and representatives of the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) funded project "Support to Parliamentary Oversight of Public Financial Management (PFM) and Budgetary Transparency in Tajikistan." The project also hosted three IMWG meetings to review and finalize the draft long-term Land Policy Concept (2017-2030) and draft the regulation on right of alienation. The project's short-term Land Legislation Expert, Mr. Robert Cemovich, met with farmers in Yovon district to discuss life-long inheritable land use rights and allocation of land plots for agricultural organizations, as well as with legal aid center (LAC) representatives in Yovon district to discuss the protection of farmers' land use rights. Mr. Cemovich presented his analysis and recommendations on land use rights for unlimited duration with right of alienation during an IMWG meeting facilitated by LMDA on May 18, 2018. The project's accomplishments demonstrate its commitment to improving the legal instruments pertaining to land and increasing knowledge and protection of land rights in Tajikistan. The project's integrated strategy and activities focus on developing the legal basis for land market development, training district-level registration specialists, and disseminating information on the land reform process via various media channels.