[{"bbox": [82, 104, 1148, 213], "category": "Text", "text": "Technical Assistance (TA) project¹³. A focus on the needs of women and girls, as well as groups living in vulnerable situation (such as women headed households, persons living with disabilities, elderlies, most geographically isolated groups) should be integrated in the development of the legal, policy and plans developments in management of drinking water supply."}, {"bbox": [82, 261, 1148, 746], "category": "Text", "text": "Following the adoption of the Drinking Water Supply and Wastewater Law, the Government also committed to development of the National Water Supply and Sanitation (NWSS) Programme for 2021-2030. Development of the programme is led by the Ministry for Energy and Water Resources (MEWR) and the SUE KMK with support of the WB-financed *Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project*. The MEWR as the lead agency in coordination of the water sector reform established the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) for the development of the program and has requested the WB to conduct a policy, institutional and regulatory review (PIR)¹⁴ of the sector. This review and analytical work was conducted by the EU co-funded project CAWEP. Through the consultative process IAWG agreed that the reform should consider different fit-for-purpose solutions aiming to reach the last mile and ensure a more efficiency service provision focusing on incentivising outcomes. Mutual agreement was achieved in terms of the urgent need to improve the overall governance framework for the WSS sector and on the guiding principles to be at the core of the upcoming sector's development programme's design: (i) Establishing a robust governance framework for the sector, which would be based on separation of responsibilities as a fundamental rule; (ii) introducing a strong performance-based monitoring to change a paradigm and ensure evidence-based regulation in the sector; (iii) ensuring financial sustainability of the sector; (iv) bridging the WSS infrastructure gap; and (v) addressing the rural access and WSS services challenge. The programme will include (i) a comprehensive baseline assessment of the WASH conditions in the country (at jamoat level); (ii) a roadmap of necessary reforms; and (iii) investment and financing plans for the sector going forward. The programme will also consider climate change impact on water resources and establish a framework for the informed decision making on the service provision models and incentives for the sector."}, {"bbox": [82, 755, 1148, 892], "category": "Text", "text": "Currently, the combined effect of inefficient subsidies, low taxes in combination with the lower-than-cost-recovery tariffs, leads to inadequate finance of the sector and scarce interest of the private sector participation. Nevertheless, from an affordability perspective, there is a potential for raising tariffs, as the share of the monthly WSS expenditures for the poorest 40 percent of the population is around 1 percent if they are accompanied by significant improvements in the quality of services."}, {"bbox": [82, 914, 1148, 971], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:**"}, {"bbox": [82, 979, 1154, 1116], "category": "Text", "text": "The PIR review's main findings and recommendations were summarised in a Policy Note¹⁵ shared with the government and the Executive Office of the President and further circulated among the interested donors. The document clearly highlight that despite the new legislative framework made available and the efforts to improve the WSS sector, further urgent steps are needed to translate the new legislation into action and to reform the overarching water governance institutions."}, {"bbox": [82, 1125, 1154, 1314], "category": "Text", "text": "In 2013 the former Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources was restructured into a new MEWR responsible for water sector policy and regulation. The State Entity \"Main Department \"TojikObidehot\" (TOD) responsible for rural water supply to communities and pastures was transferred under the SUE KMK. Since then, the SUE KMK consolidates policy making, regulatory, sector planning and monitoring functions for the WSS sector, and at the same time, through approximately 125 branches at the district level, provides communal services at the municipal level, which includes water supply and wastewater services, but also cover solid waste management, roads maintenance, housing, landscaping activities, heating and other disparate services."}, {"bbox": [82, 1323, 1154, 1457], "category": "Text", "text": "The initiated consolidation of power under the national utility did not yield expected results of improved sector planning and did not demonstrate visible results in increasing the coverage of population with safely managed water supply services and sanitation. Having the SUE KMK performing the policy development, planning and monitoring functions for the whole sector while being in parallel, a service provider creates major challenges, as there is an inherent conflict of interest between these two roles."}, {"bbox": [72, 1517, 1158, 1567], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ Project \"Provision of TA to the Government of Tajikistan to build institutional capacity in IWRM and contribute to sustainable management and protection of water and land resources\" - ACA/2016/374-783."}, {"bbox": [72, 1566, 1158, 1640], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ The PIR was conducted by the WB team in 2020 under the EU co-funded CAWEP, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund financed by the European Union, the Government of Switzerland (through SECO) and the Government of United Kingdom (through UKaid). More information available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca/brief/cawep"}, {"bbox": [72, 1638, 783, 1663], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁵ \"Tajikistan: Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Policy\", CAWEP, December 2021"}, {"bbox": [1051, 1663, 1158, 1688], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 22"}]