HIV/AIDS Problems

The trauma of war followed by the misery of exile is not the only sad destiny of a refugee. Most of the time they stay in parts of the world affected by HIV/AIDS. In many cases the blame of spreading HIV is put on refugees. The saddest thing is, nevertheless, the fact that refugees infected with HIV are excluded from multi-million dollar HIV/AIDS programmes.

UNHCR promotes and supports the development of JIV programmes to ensure universal access to HIV prevention and treatment, care and support programmes. This agency is called UNAIDS focusing primarily on refugees and internally displaced people.

Visit the official website of UNAIDS

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Tajikistan marks National Flag Day today

DUSHANBE, November 24, 2009, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan today marks a National Flag Day for the first time.

Celebrations to mark this new public holiday are being held across the whole country.

In Dushanbe, a main cultural action to mark this holiday will be held today evening, at 6:00 pm, at the Dousti Square. Students from Dushanbe high schools and veterans of war and labor will take part in this action. Dushanbe mayor and members of the government are also expected to attend this action.

Besides, a book exhibition and scientific-practical conference will be held at the City Lohouti Library and various fairs will take place in Dushanbe’s parks.

Tajikistan was the last of the former Soviet republics to reveal a new flag, which was adopted on November 24, 1992. The one common link between this and the 1953 Tajik SSR flag is the choice of colors - red, white and green.

The crown represents the Tajik people, the name itself is derived from tajvar, which means "crowned". In traditional Tajik cultural aspects the magic word "seven" is a symbol of perfection, the embodiment of happiness and the provider of virtue. According to Tajik legend, Islamic heaven is composed of seven beautiful orchids, separated by seven mountains each with a glowing start on top. The middle white stripe is one-and-a-half times the size of the red and green stripes. The red represents the unity of the nation and the symbol of the sun and victory; the white represents purity, cotton, the snow on the mountains and the unity of the people; and green stands for the spiritual meaning of Islam and represents the generosity of nature of the country. The symbol charged in the middle of the white stripe is a crown surmounted by an arc of seven stars.

Telling the Human Story

Siidow is a 67-year-old Somali man who decided to flee his country with his wife Maryam five years ago. The reason why this fruit and vegetable farmer decided to leave his eight children and five grandchildren in a town of Afgooye was that the local militiaman raided his home in central Somalia.

He and his wife travelled to the port of Bossaso, situated in the Gulf of Aden, in a hope to be smuggled into Yemen and later on to Saudi Arabia. They thought a life would be better there. They saw Yemen as a promised land.

As Siidow remembers now, he has to pay US$100 for the crossing to the armed smugglers. He and his wife were on a boat with more than 300 people, though the boat was designed to carry a maximum of 60 people. Some hundreds of meters from the coast from Yemen passangers were forced into the sea to swim. Some of them died of exhaustion. Siidow and his wife were lucky to stay alive.

In Yemen Siidow found a job and after some time he saved money enough to get them to Saudi Arabia, where they were caught by a police and thrown back to Somalia. There, however, they got into the care of the UNHCR, in Galkayo. The whole family of Siidow is now reunited there.

> In the first 10 months of this year, at least 62,000 people arrived on the Yemeni coast on smugglers' boats. More than 430 people have drowned or are missing and feared dead. Somalis are escaping conflict and persecution within their own country. <

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The government writes off a $548 mln debt of cotton farmers

DUSHANBE, November 18, 2008 Asia-Plus -- The Government of Tajikistan has begun issuing certificates of debt remission to cotton-growing farms. Under this document, all their debts that arose before January 1, 2008 are written off.

Cotton farmers in Khatlon’s districts of Bokhatr, Vakhsh and Jomi districts were the first to receive the certificates of debt remissions. They received them yesterday.

According to Nematjon Bouriyev, Senior Adviser to the President for Economic Matters who heads the commission to control the cotton subsector debt repayment, all farming units having arrears that arose before January 1, 2008 will receive such certificates before the end of this year.

“In all, 548 million U.S. dollars will be written off,” said Bouriyev, “The government will write off 435 million U.S. dollars given to cotton farmers through the investment company Credit Invest under guarantees from the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) and a 113 million U.S. dollars debt to commercial banks and direct investors not connected with Credit Invest.” He noted that those debts to commercial banks and investors would be cleared through providing long-term state securities to them.

Besides, it is also planned to extend the term of repayment of investors’ debts to Credit Invest (US$154 million) that arose in connection with financing of production of non-cotton crops, Bouriyev said. “In other words, these funds are those that were originally intended for financing of the cotton sector but then did not reach the necessary target for one or another reason. Investors should give them back to the government, the NBT to be exact, because central bank has repaid all debts of Credit Invest,” he noted.

In all, the government intends to write off, discount and restructure debts in an amount of 702 million U.S. dollars until 2010.

A Reason To Flee

Al-Shabaab "The Party of Youth" is a group of Somali Islamists. The group controls a large region of southern Somalia. They have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law Sharia which has been unpopular with many Somalis. All the refugees and IDPs flee their homes due to the violence imposed on them by the Al-Shabaab. The country does not have a functioning national government for 18 years now.

On Wednesday 18th of November 2009, one of the most extreme cases in Somalia happened. A young woman was stoned to death in front of at least 200 people of audience because of the claimed adultary, BBC reported. Her case has been the fourth one in Somalia this past year.

BBC Source

IDPs in Mogadishu

Since November 9 Ethiopian office of UNHCR reports about the life situation getting harder for Somali displaced people. Heavy rain in the region and the lack of medical services worsen the conditions for the IDPs camping on the outskirts of Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. This area includes 30 camps, each with average of 3,300 people, and only two clinics are available to them. The most often cases are of malnutrition and water-related diseases. Food aid has been reduced by half since 2007. Aid agencies in Somalia have asked for more financial help but donors are holding back, since the region is too dangerous for international staff. UNHCR estimates there are some 900,000 IDPs in Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor.

Watch a video about the IDPs of Mogadishu

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Tajik parliament passes budget for 2010

DUSHANBE, November 11, 2009, Stan- The lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of the Tajik parliament has approved the national budget for 2010.

A regular sitting of the sixth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the third convocation, presided over by its speaker, Saydullo Khairulloyev, was held on November 11.

Presenting the 2010 budget bill, Finance Minister Safarali Najmiddinov said that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was expected to reach 24.5 billion somoni in 2010, while in 2009, GDP amounted to 20.065 billion somoni.

The production development rate is projected to be 5 percent and inflation is expected to stand at 9 percent in 2010. The exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the national currency, the somoni, is expected to be 1:5, according to the minister.

Najmiddinov noted that the budget earmarked 650 million somoni for construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP). In 2009, 533 million somoni were allocated for implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity project.

The budget projects expenditure of 1.1 billion somoni in the social care sector, which is 145 million more than this year.

In 2010, 1.068 billion somoni are earmarked for the education sector, which is 126 million somoni more than in 2009.

In 2010, 404 million somoni is expected to be spent on the health sector, which is 82 million somoni more than this year.

The budget for 2010 also projects expenditure of 214 million somoni for development of culture and sports in the country.

The budget also provides for increase in expenditures on defense, public order, and keeping diplomatic missions of Tajikistan abroad.

Speaking at the session, MP Mirzosharif Islomiddinov proposed to review the excise rates for alcohol and tobacco products.

MP and the Communist leader Shodi Shabdolov noted that the budget authors had not taken into consideration real inflation and devaluation of the national currency.

After a comprehensive discussion, the deputies of the Majlisi Namoyandagon unanimously approved the law "On state budget of Tajikistan for 2010".

Tajikistan officially introduces electricity rationing in rural areas

DUSHANBE, November 10, 2009, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan officially introduced electricity rationing in rural areas beginning on November 10.

Under the resolution signed by the head of Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding Sanat Rahimov today, rural areas of the country will have electricity seven hours per day, Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, Tajikistan’s power system has operated in an autonomous regime over the past several days. “At present, we are not receiving electricity from other countries,” said Yodgori, “Tajik power plants now generate 38-40 million kWh of electricity per day, which is 3-3.5 million kWh more than last year.”

To save energy Barqi Tojik is forced to begin cutting off electricity supplies to some regions of the country at certain time of day, the spokesman said.

Under the resolution, rural schools will be provided with electricity during class hours, he added.

On the accident that occurred in the country’s power system yesterday morning, Yodgori noted that similar accident took place in 2001. “The safety system worked very well because no serious effects were reported,” he said, noting that the accident effects were removed yesterday in four hours.

Calls for Aid

The UNHCR called on donor countries for an extra US $ 2.8 million to help more than 300,000 refugees in two locations in northern Kenya threatened by flooding. Those two places are Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps. The money gained are planned to be used to items such as fuel, blankets and to respond to possible outbreaks of disease that could come along with the floods.

Three weeks ago heavy rains have started in Kenya, rising the probability of strong floods in the region. The UNHCR is now preparing to relocate certain amount of refugees, particulary the chronically ill, disabled people, the eldery and children.

The worst flooding in Kakuma was recorded in May 2003 and in the Dadaab complex in 2006. The UNHCR is doing all it can to prevent such a situation.

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Follow Their Stories

The project called "10 Days" supported by theGimme Shelter is over. It is still possible to donate money or to get involved in the project in different ways. The stories of ten different and randomly selected people can be read on the official webpage of the project. FOLLOW THEIR STORIES! Ten journeys but one chance ... to flee the capital Mogadishu and escape the conflict that has turned the city into a battlefield.

The last story to finish with is about the final move from the overcrowded camp Dadaab to Kakuma camp in north-west Kenya. Read other real life experience ...

DUSHANBE, November 4, 2009, Asia-Plus -- Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer has arrived in Dushanbe today for a two-day visit, according to the MFA information department.

He is currently holding talks with Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Hamrokhon Zarifi. The sides are expected to discuss state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Poland.

Today afternoon, Polish deputy foreign minister will meet with Minister of Culture Mirzoshorukh Asrori. The meeting is expected to result in signing of an agreement between Tajikistan and Poland on cooperation in the field of culture.

In the meantime, the first Tajik-Polish economic consultations were held in Dushanbe yesterday and an agreement on economic cooperation between the two countries was signed.

Gimme Shelter

GIVE SHELTER ♥ SAVE LIVES

The "Gimme Shelter" was presented by the Hollywood actor Ben Affleck under UNHCR in 2008 to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nowadays, its primary aim and focus is to remind people of the importance of shelter from the elements, from violence, from hunger, from disease. It seeks to gain financial help from governments and individuals in order to aid refugees and internally displaced persons of Somalia.

"Gimme Shelter is a way to make people understand the plight of people who are forced to flee and have no shelter, not only physical shelter but respect for their rights and the capacity to allow them to live in safety and dignity."

- UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres -

Find out MORE about the conflicts and problems faced in Somalia, find out more about the mission of UNHCR and GET INVOLVED.

USEFUL LINKS:

YouTube Watch the latest footage from Somalia

Facebook Follow the progress in the challange

Flicker View latest pictures from Somalia

Twitter Follow UNHCR's latest efforts to help refugees

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