President of the Republic of Tajikistan

Mr. Emomali Rakhmon

Dear Mr. President,

            On behalf of the Coalition of 90 Tajik NGOs from all over the country “From equality de jure to equality de facto” and of the participants of the Round Table “The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination Discrimination Against Women as an additional mechanism for the guarantee of women’s rights” (November 13, 2009, Dushanbe) we would like to give you our respect and acknowledgement for your attention to the problem of women’s empowerment in the Tajik society. 

           Thanks to your continuous activity on the promotion of gender equality in the Republic of Tajikistan the wide legal base on women’s rights protection was created during the period of independence of our country. Tajikistan as one of the first CIS countries had ratified the Convention on the Elimination Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993 as well as many others international human rights treaties. The Republic also took real steps for women’s promotion.

            We would like to ask you to pay your attention to the fact that in September 7, 2000 the Republic of Tajikistan signed the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW. Unfortunately, by the date Tajikistan has not ratified it yet.

            The Optional Protocol entered into force in December 22, 2000. By November 15, 2009 99 States-Parties of the CEDAW accessed/ratified the Optional Protocol (see the list of the States-Parties attached).

            The ratification by the Republic of Tajikistan the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW could provide people with the additional mechanism of women’s rights protection and demonstrate again the willingness of our country to fulfill the international obligations on the elimination of gender inequality.

              In 2010 Tajikistan should prepare the next National Report on the Realization of the CEDAW and Fulfilling the Committee’s Concluding Comments based on the National Report presented in January 2007 during the 37th session. One of the Committee’s recommendations was to ratify the OP CEDAW.

           We would like to ask you to support the additional women’s rights protection mechanism and submit the OP CEDAW to the Majlisi Namayandegan of Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan (lower house of parliament) for its ratification. 

            On behalf of the NGO Coalition of 90 Tajik NGOs “From equality de jure to equality de facto” and of the participants of the Round Table,

                                                                                                    Sincerely yours,            

The Chairperson of the NGO Coalition “From equality de jure to equality de facto”,
the Chairperson of the “Panorama Foundation”

                                                                                   T. Bozrikova