OSCE Magazine spotlights Tajikistan's revitalized push for land reform

VIENNA, 2 August 2004 - Tajikistan's ambitious land reform programme and its twin goals of economic and human security come under the spotlight in the OSCE Magazine's latest issue, now available online and in print.

A series of articles examines how the Government, the OSCE and the international community are mobilizing efforts to make land reform the driving force for improved living standards for farming families, who make up some 70 per cent of the population.

"The OSCE is at the centre of this renewed push, continuing its role as a guarantor of Tajikistan's peace," says Erkin Kasimov, Tajikistan's Ambassador to the OSCE, in a message introducing the special coverage.

"The OSCE's strategy aims to safeguard farmers' rights under Tajik law and to assist them in obtaining micro-credits," he says. "This reflects one of the Organization's guiding tenets: that economic and human security are intertwined."

Tajikistan's determination to rise from the ashes of war was recently cited by the United Nations as one of the top ten stories that the world should hear more about. The country has just marked the seventh anniversary of the Peace Agreement of 27 June 1997, which ended the five-year civil war.

In the same issue, Portuguese Ambassador Francisco Seixas da Costa presents a personal perspective on Central Asia - "Not always a silk road to democracy" - after a recent visit to all five countries in the region.

The OSCE Magazine, launched earlier this year, carries in-depth articles and interviews examining the Organization's unique concept of comprehensive security. Published in English and Russian, it can be accessed on the OSCE website as well.

Readers can also subscribe to the print version at www.osce.org/publications/magazine or at osce-magazine-at@osce.org.