When Elizaveta arrived in Tajikistan in January 2025, her goal was clear: shine a light on the school feeding programme funded by the Russian Government, which also funds her UN Volunteer assignment. But as her assignment unfolded, her role expanded—covering all WFP programmes in Tajikistan and making her work as dynamic as the country itself.

In 2022, UN Women conducted an ethnographic review of harmful social norms and practices and support for mass advocacy initiatives to prevent violence against women and girls in the country. This mapped both harmful and positive practices, attitudes and behaviours that influence violence against women and girls.

Tajikistan is the country of origin for large numbers of migrant workers who seek employment abroad. It is hard to find a single Tajik citizen who does not have a family member or friend currently working abroad. In many cases, however, their journeys are connected with risks of social disintegration and human trafficking. Despite the comprehensive efforts to address the remaining challenges in regards to migration management, Tajik migrants and their families continue to face a lot of difficulties both abroad and at home.

Awareness-raising and dissemination of information materials are paramount for COVID-19 prevention. Therefore, UNHCR, through its civil society partners, is ensuring outreach to refugee communities. As part of a dedicated information campaign for COVID-19 prevention, UNHCR facilitated the printing of information materials and disseminating them through partner organizations in locations where refugees and asylum seekers reside. Posters, for example, depict hygiene measures and restrictions on gatherings and travel, and guide on maintaining social distancing.

According to a recent Oxfam study conducted in six districts in Tajikistan, 96.5% of men interviewed and 71.5% of women consider that women must tolerate violence for the benefit of the family. Needless to say, when I first read this report, only a couple of weeks after I began my assignment, I was shocked by these statistics.

One international UN Volunteer, ten community volunteers, and one UN Online Volunteer are running the Start-Up Choihona project, which has so far organized two national entrepreneurial competitions promoting innovation and youth employment. Quarterly competitions offer an opportunity for new entrepreneurs to present their unique business ideas to a panel of judges. Given the chance to pitch their ideas, Tajik entrepreneurs have the chance to get feedback on whether their business ideas could work and gain access to valuable networks of potential business partners and investors.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan: As a UN Volunteer Social Work Specialist, I started to work for UNICEF in Tajikistan a year ago. Even before that, for a year I was a volunteer with VSO (Volunteer Service Overseas) in the South of Tajikistan.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan: I was sent to Tajikistan as a UN Youth Volunteer Communication Officer with the UN Resident Coordinator's (UNRC) office. The UNRC office is in charge of leading the reform process of operational activities. Within this reform falls the effort to consolidate the communication work of all UN agencies. For this purpose, the UN Communication Group (UNCG) was created for all those who are in charge of communications at one of the country’s 21 UN agencies to meet regularly.