Strategies for Development and Food Security in
Mountainous Areas of Central Asia
General
Information
The
international workshop, “Strategies for Development
and Food Security in Mountainous Areas of Central Asia,”
was sponsored by three organizations – InWEnt, GTZ,
and the Aga Khan Foundation – who have worked extensively
in Central Asia for years, and as well on issues pertaining
to mountain communities.
Sponsors
InWEnt
– Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung (Capacity
Building International, Germany), is synonymous
with human resources and organizational development in
international cooperation. Its service package addresses
specialists, executives, and decision-makers in industry,
politics, administration and civil society. InWEnt works
with partners in developing countries, transition states,
and industrialized nations.
Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
GmbH, is an international cooperation enterprise
for sustainable development with worldwide operations.
It provides viable, forward looking solutions for political,
economic, ecological and social development in a globalized
world. It works mainly for the German Federal Government,
and currently is implementing some 2,700 projects and
programees in over 130 countries.
The
Aga Khan Foundation, an agency of the Aga Khan
Development Network, is a non-denominational, international
development agency established in 1967. Its mission is
to develop and promote creative solutions to problems
that impede social development. Created as a private,
non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches
and independent affiliates in 15 countries, primarily
in Asia and East Africa.
The
conference was also aided by the assistance of the Tajik
Government, and by the efforts of the Mountain Societies
Development Support Programme (MSDSP) in Tajikistan.
Scope
The
mountains covering large portions of Central and South
Asia define both the landscape of the area and the lives
of the people who live there. Because these areas cut
across national borders, peoples in Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic face similar obstacles
in their efforts to improve their livelihoods. Despite
differing political and economic historical contexts,
there are many common threads among the peoples in this
region.
This
gathering strove to promote regional economic development
in and encourage greater integration of mountainous areas
in Central Asia. A central aim was to provide the people
from the four principal countries with an opportunity
to interact with one another, discuss common solutions
to their problems, and seek new ways to collaborate and
communicate in pursuit of similar economic development
goals.
Objectives
The
workshop had the following specific objectives:
Participants
Over
70 experts, primarily from the four aforementioned countries,
gathered to discuss the challenges facing mountain communities
in Central Asia. The participants represented a range
of backgrounds, and included members of governmental organizations,
development practitioners, representatives from non-governmental
and donor organizations, senior advisors, business men
and women, decision makers in regional planning, and national
and international academics on rural development.
Agenda
The
structure of the five-day workshop, included presentation
of prepared papers (and reactions from other participants),
group work discussions to share experiences and elaborate
recommendations, and plenary presentations of working
results to exchange and discuss findings. Additionally,
one day of the schedule was devoted to field exposure,
with a trip to Rogun District, in Rasht Valley, where
participants had the opportunity to meet with village
organizations.
You
may also download the full and comprehensive agenda here:
