Tajikistan Declares Commitment to Foster Inter-Agency Collaboration in Civil Registry

September 21, 2023
Photo: UNDP Tajikistan

Dushanbe, Tajikistan – September 20, 2023 – The Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan convened a conference on "Digitization of Public Services in the Republic of Tajikistan: Inter-Agency Integration and Interoperability of Data Systems". The occasion brought together about 120 participants from the government, development agencies, civil society organizations and media to discuss interoperability in the civil registry (CR) among state bodies.

Currently, the information systems with databases are fragmented resulting in errors, delays and duplication of effort. To address these challenges, the conference facilitated inter-agency dialogue about the ways of improving the civil registry system in Tajikistan so that the government can have accurate and up-to-date information about its citizens. “Access to accurate and reliable data empowers the government to make informed policy decisions, conduct effective planning, and allocate resources adequately,” noted Lenni Montiel, Resident Representative of UNDP Tajikistan.  

The Minister of Justice, Muzaffar Ashuriyon, and the First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, Mukhsinzoda Gafur, read a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to the development of a new Civil Registration Portal, advancement of inter-agency collaboration and improvement of public services. “By establishing inter-agency integration and interoperability of information systems, we strive to improve the efficiency, transparency and quality of government services, promoting digital transformation that will benefit all citizens of Tajikistan,” they said, highlighting the importance of the conference. “We encourage all ministries and departments to join our initiative as we work together to make government services accessible and convenient for our people.”

Raimundas Karoblis, European Union Ambassador, emphasized the significance of the interoperability issue stating that it “will allow to share data among the state institutions in a secure, fast, and easy way and will serve as an important step towards the transition to e-governance”.  

During the plenary meeting Kamol Almuradov, Head of the Digitalization Department of the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan, shared Uzbekistan’s experience in inter-agency data integration. Following the plenary, attendees participated in two thematic sessions: “Interoperability of data systems among state agencies” and “Implementation of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “on Public Services”. 

The conference is organized by the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan with the support of UNDP’s Civil Registry System Reform Initiative, funded by the European Union and the Swiss Cooperation Office. The Initiative aims to support the protection of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights by making civil registry institutions and mechanisms more responsive to the populations’ needs through automation, better capacity development approaches, and awareness raising.

For more information, please contact the UNDP Tajikistan’s Civil Registry System Reform Initiative Project Manager Filippo Caruso at filippo.caruso@undp.org