Women from Central Asia are being recruited into Georgia’s surrogacy market through social media, adding a new labor channel to an industry already under pressure from foreign demand and inadequate supervision. A University of Oxford study published in Mobilities identifies Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, U
An international media rights group has welcomed the release from prison of two journalists in Tajikistan, while urging the government to free others who remain in jail. Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said Zavkibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda were freed on July 18 after four years
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon is visiting Mongolia for the first time since 2009, as the two countries pursue closer ties and Mongolia expands its engagement with Central Asia. An honor guard welcomed Rahmon on his arrival in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Monday, and the Tajik lead
Tajikistan is preparing for another autumn and winter in which electricity demand may outstrip supply. Network losses have fallen, and investment in hydropower continues, but officials say the seasonal imbalance between generation and consumption will persist. Mahmadumar Asozoda, chairman of state-o
In Barvoz village in the Western Pamirs, Zarifkhon Gulchinov watched a green forest near his home become a semi-desert during the 1990s. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan’s civil war left the isolated region short of electricity and coal. Families cut trees to heat their homes and cook
Tajikistan is developing a new strategy to address gender-related social norms for 2027–2036 while expanding programs aimed at increasing women’s economic participation and cooperation with international organizations. The draft strategy was presented at a meeting organized jointly by the Committee
Tajikistan has launched a website that monitors air quality in several cities around the country, whose capital, Dushanbe, has experienced severe pollution over the years because of vehicle emissions, fuel burning and other factors. The initiative follows objections from Tajik authorities to an inte
Tajikistan plans to launch a lithium mining project at the Namadgut deposit in the Ishkashim district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region within the next year, according to Minister of Industry and New Technologies Sherali Kabir. Around 80% of the equipment required for the project has already
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Agriculture says farmers will be able to purchase diesel at a subsidized price of approximately $1.20 per liter through the Agency for State Material Reserves as fuel shortages intensify across the country. Speaking at a press conference on July 9, First Deputy Agriculture M
Tajikistan has nearly halved its undernourishment rate over the past decade, but food insecurity and access to healthy diets remain major challenges for a significant share of the population, according to a new regional report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The
Authorities in Tajikistan say heavy rain could trigger mudslides in parts of the country in the coming days and have warned people to be extremely careful when traveling on roads near mountains and riverbanks. The warning was issued on Wednesday, days after government officials, scientists, and othe
Tajikistan will receive a $1.7 million grant to introduce a “Single Window” digital system in the country’s free economic zones to simplify administrative procedures and improve the investment climate. The project agreement was signed in Vienna during a meeting between representatives of Tajikistan’
Tajikistan and the United Kingdom intend to expand cooperation in education, science, and specialist training. These issues were discussed by Tajikistan’s Minister of Education and Science Rahim Saidzoda and the UK ambassador to Dushanbe, Katherine Smitton, Avesta.tj reported . Representatives of th
Tajikistan will receive concessional financing equivalent to about $20 million from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to implement an education-sector project. The funds will be used to build and equip schools in different regions of the country. According to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Fin
President Emomali Rahmon has signed an amnesty law covering 18,038 convicted people as Tajikistan prepares to mark 35 years of independence. The measure provides full release for 11,305 people and reduces the unserved terms of 6,733 others. The 11,305 figure includes prison and settlement-colony sen
Tajikistan aims to increase industry’s share of gross domestic product to 30% by 2030 as part of its accelerated industrialization strategy, the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management said. The committee said the country has a strong raw materials base to support industrial dev
Law enforcement authorities in Dushanbe have shut down an underground operation that allegedly produced counterfeit pharmaceutical products, including medicines intended for children. According to the Dushanbe police department , the seized products included syrups sold under well-known brands inclu
Tajikistan is planning a major modernization of the Tajik Sea reservoir, known until 2016 as the Kayrakkum Reservoir. The project is a strategic water initiative for the country and the wider Central Asian region. Prospects for the project were discussed during a meeting between Tajikistan’s officia
Tajikistan continues to record one of the strongest economic growth rates in Central Asia, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in its June 2026 Regional Economic Prospects report . The EBRD estimates that Tajikistan’s economy grew by 8% year-on-year in the first
Representatives of Tajikistan’s government and banking sector met with Douglas Clark, the United Kingdom’s regional sanctions attaché, in Dushanbe to discuss banking regulation, risk management, and the development of bilateral cooperation in the financial sector. According to the National Bank of T