The International Labour Organization has reported a rise in child labor during Turkmenistan’s 2025 cotton harvest, despite improvements in some working conditions and continued cooperation with the government. The findings were published in the ILO’s second consecutive assessment of labor condition
Kyrgyzstan is launching a pilot project to construct a solar power plant through a public-private partnership (PPP). The project is supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which has prepared technical, legal, financial, and environmental assessments. The project’s implementation wa
The government of Turkmenistan has begun developing its first National Program on Child Protection and Child-Friendly Justice, with technical support from UNICEF, according to a report published on April 15. Officials described the initiative as a major step toward strengthening systems that safegua
At Kazakhstan Finance Day in New York, officials and executives used the panel “Investment Opportunities in Kazakhstan” to present the country as entering a new phase of market development, citing macroeconomic stability, capital-market reform, potential initial and secondary public offerings, and i
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
In April 2026, Tajikistan hosted anti-corruption awareness-raising events aimed at raising the level of legal awareness among civil servants and drawing public attention to anti-corruption issues. These events were initiated by structural divisions of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Agency's press center reported. The events […] Запись Anti-corruption events were held in a number of government agencies in Tajikistan. впервые п...
The authorities in Tajikistan have reported several cases involving the marriage of underage girls, with criminal cases opened in Dushanbe since the beginning of the year over violations of the country’s legal marriage age. According to the Dushanbe branch of the Interior Ministry , law enforcement
Bride kidnapping for the purpose of forcing women into marriage remains one of the least visible forms of gender-based violence in Central Asia. Although abduction and coercion into marriage are punishable under criminal law across the region, the offenses are defined differently from country to cou
When political leaders or national statistical agencies report an increase foreign-owned companies in Central Asia, the media often draw the wrong conclusion. A rise in the number of foreign-owned businesses is frequently interpreted as evidence of growing investment from the countries where their o
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun installing border pillars along their shared frontier, marking the start of the final stage in implementing the landmark border agreement that ended one of Central Asia’s longest-running territorial disputes. On July 14, representatives of the two countries insta
Nearly 160,000 citizens of Tajikistan, including about 25,000 minors, have been listed in Russia’s register of controlled persons, a senior official from Tajikistan’s migration service said. The figure reflects the impact of tighter Russian migration rules on one of Central Asia’s largest sources of
Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened control over citizens’ online activity, with district courts in Ashgabat reportedly hearing administrative cases daily against people accused of liking or commenting on posts critical of the government on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms. T
The European Union used its latest human rights dialogue with Turkmenistan to press Ashgabat on the gap between outward engagement and domestic control. The 18th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue was held in Ashgabat on June 22. It came during a period of slightly more visible contact bet
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
Tajikistan is set to attract approximately $43 million in financing to modernize its telecommunications infrastructure, while the government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are also advancing plans for a new logistics hub on the border with Uzbekistan. The initiatives
Central Asia’s water politics are moving beyond Soviet-era quotas. As glaciers in the Tien Shan retreat and climate pressure increases, river management has become a question of energy security, food production, and regional stability. The Soviet-era system of river-water allocation has reached its
A planned Tajik-Iranian waste recycling plant in Tajikistan’s northern Sughd Region has been put on hold after Iranian investors were unable to travel to the country amid the conflict U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The facility was to be built in the Sughd Free Economic Zone in Khujand and had been pro
Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a package of support measures for the jewelry industry, implementing a directive from President Sadyr Japarov aimed at improving producers’ access to raw materials. Earlier, Japarov instructed the government to ensure that jewelers could obtain raw mate
A large-scale corruption case involving Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan’s last president Islam Karimov, is set to go to trial on April 27 at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, according to a Finews report and official Swiss sources. The proceedings mark a significant