This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) Second Progress Report for the Republic of Tajikistan. The progress report presents a comprehensive assessment of the nature and dynamics of poverty from various sources and perspectives, and recognizes the challenges ahead for continued progress in reducing the number of people living in poverty. The report fully acknowledges that the poor quality, reliability, and timeliness of statistics for monitoring progress in poverty reduction are owed to the lack of capacity to collect and analyze data and to the weak coordination between state agencies.
This paper presents key findings of the Joint Staff Assessment of Tajikistan's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Progress Report. Macroeconomic management has improved, and some structural reforms have been implemented, but serious institutional weaknesses hinder effective policy implementation. Privatization of a number of hitherto state-owned enterprises and increasing remittances from migrant workers have facilitated the development of private sector activities in the service sector, and thus contributed to a gradual diversification of the sources of growth. Good progress has also been achieved in maintaining the fiscal discipline.
This paper reviews Tajikistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) Progress Report. There are positive signs in the initial implementation stages of the Poverty Reduction Strategy process. The revenue performance has improved, and expenditures are managed with tight fiscal discipline. The expenditures in the social sectors were almost 43 percent of the budget in 2003. Cash compensations, increased public sector salaries and increased pensions have targeted social sector spending better. The cash compensations totaled 12 million Sm. in the 2003 budget.
The National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan mainly complements future renewals and ensures implementation of the development process of the country. The fields of activity of the world community outlined in the Millennium Declaration comply with the national goals and priorities of Tajikistan. In accordance with the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan and Poverty Reduction Strategy for the period of 2010–12, priority areas for further development of complex spheres in separate sectors are unified, which basically covers public administration reform and private sector development.
The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2010–12 aims to serve as a medium-term program for the implementation of the National Development Strategy up to 2015. It will determine the major socioeconomic development of the country during this period, taking into account the impact of the global economic and financial crisis. The PRS, taking into account available resources and additional needs, indicates concrete actions for implementing institutional and economic reforms.
Guyana continues to make progress in laying the foundation for poverty reduction, but at a very slow pace. Critical issues remain unresolved. The political situation remains problematic, with the two main parties divided along ethnic lines. The most recent mechanism to facilitate a constructive working arrangement between the two parties has broken down and is unlikely to be revived in its current form. Much then depends on the ability of parliament and other institutions to work effectively, which will require that they be strengthened considerably. The Government has scheduled local elections for September 2004, but it is yet to be seen if these can be carried out peacefully, and with the cooperation of the opposition. As the economy remains dependent on certain primary products-bauxite, sugar and rice-which, with the exception of sugar, provide a limited potential for future growth, there is need to diversify the economy to create jobs in other sectors. Establishing an environment for sustained growth remains the main challenge for the Government in the future. Linked with this is the continued need to improve the rule o f law, transparency, and governance in order to provide an efficient and transparent framework within which the private sector can operate. The progress report provides a revised policy matrix that focuses on key issues and updates the matrix in the original PRSP. However, given the downward revision of the overall macroeconomic and expenditure framework,
The progress made by Moldova toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has not been uniform since 2007. Domestic economic and political crises are likely to undermine the achievement of several MDG targets set for 2010 and 2015. The goals were to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal access to general secondary education, promote gender equality and empower woman, and so on. After growing dramatically in 1998–1999, poverty in Moldova began to decline in 2000. Addressing the environmental challenges and risks is imperative for Moldova.
This book offers an introduction to Information Technology with regard to peace, conflict, and security research, a topic that it approaches from natural science, technical and computer science perspectives. Following an initial review of the fundamental roles of IT in connection with peace, conflict and security, the contributing authors address the rise of cyber conflicts via information warfare, cyber espionage, cyber defence and Darknets. The book subsequently explores recent examples of cyber warfare, including: • The Stuxnet attack on Iran’s uranium refining capability • The hacking of the German Federal Parliament’s internal communication system • The Wannacry malware campaign, which used software stolen from a US security agency to launch ransomware attacks worldwide The book then introduces readers to the concept of cyber peace, including a discussion of confidence and security-building measures. A section on Cyber Arms Control draws comparisons to global efforts to control chemical warfare, to reduce the risk of nuclear war, and to prevent the militarization of space. Additional topics include the security of critical information infrastructures, and cultural violence and peace in social media. The book concludes with an outlook on the future role of IT in peace and security. Information Technology for Peace and Security breaks new ground in a largely unexplored field of study, and offers a valuable asset for a broad readership including students, educators and working professionals in computer science, IT security, peace and conflict studies, and political science.
