OSCE Centre in Dushanbe

Media managers, journalists and authorities in Tajikistan are facing numerous challenges on the way to developing free media, having inherited an uneasy legacy from the Soviet era and the 1992-1997 civil war.

Information flow and media outreach remain limited and there is a need to build greater trust between State bodies and independent media. Journalists also lack up-to-date knowledge and shared professional standards. The Media Programme of the OSCE Center in Dushanbe aims to address these problems, starting at their roots.

Access to information

The Centre works to help increase access to information in Tajikistan. For example, it supports a Dushanbe-based media resource centre, which has been providing free Internet access and specialized literature to Tajik journalists and journalism students since 2004.

To promote public access to information in a system where information and media outlets are limited, the Centre has put up information boards for citizens in 57 remote districts of Tajikistan. The boards provide information about current events, governmental activities, the OSCE and non-governmental organizations.

In the run-up to the 2006 presidential election, the Centre supported an election portal on the Asia Plus website to provide voters with access to comprehensive information on presidential candidates and their platforms.

Professional development

The Centre assists journalists and independent media in Tajikistan through training activities and support to relevant institutions.

It has also helped create a number of independent newspapers and magazines. OSCE-sponsored newspapers Bomdod and Kulyabskaya Pravda in the most populous and poor areas of southern Tajikistan have become the main source of information for local audiences.

The OSCE-started Molodezhnaya insert, which appears in the newspaper Business i Politika, is the only print media outlet that is open for young journalists and focuses on a younger audience. The magazine Nafosat, which was set up by the Centre to support minority Uzbek journalists, remains the only Uzbek-language magazine in Tajikistan. The Centre has also provided technical assistance to two independent start-ups, Sobytiya and Kishovarz 3+1.

Plans for the future

The Centre plans to continue supporting independent print media by helping them strengthen their capacity and become financially sustainable. In particular, it intends to tackle the problem of ineffective print media distribution networks.

It will also work with the Tajik authorities and interested organizations to further improve the Media Law, encourage media self-regulation and promote professional and ethical standards.