Today the international community is facing a great challenge that has already affected the global economy and this process is still continues. There is no doubt that each country will suffer from this crisis to one degree or another. Particularly, its economic and psychological consequences will be significant.
Our country, Tajikistan considered to be one of the countries that could suffer the most, as our economy highly depends on external factors.

The potential economical crisis in Russia due to oil prices plummeting and continued restrictions due to the virus could cause hundreds of thousands of Tajik migrants losing their jobs, which is one of the main sources of funding of country’s economy.

It is crucial that economic, legal and cultural measures have to be taken from now to reduce the negative effects of this crisis in the future.

The National Alliance of Tajikistan suggests a package of proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan as urgent measures and believes that if implemented, our country would be prepared better for this crisis and it will be easier for the state and the nation to overcome this danger:

1. To return free of charge every Tajik citizens willing to return to their homeland and are stuck by quarantine in foreign countries.

2. To provide quarantined citizens with all according to standards and necessary conditions to protect their life, health and psychological condition.

3. To cancel all numerous meetings, anniversaries, crowded events, including marches for the period of quarantine.

4. To release all prisoners over 60 years old, regardless of duration of their sentence, severity of the charges and other factors. To release and transfer to house detention those prisoners who are younger, if they have not committed serious crimes and pose no danger to the society. Also in order to improve the political and psychological mood in the country, to increase public confidence in the government and in respect of the decisions of the authoritative international organization — the UN Human Rights Committee — to release 15 political prisoners, the immediate release of which was previously demanded by the Committee.

5. To take effective measures to increase Internet speed and quality in order to prepare environment to create system of online education, record keeping and management. To remove all restrictions and blockages of media websites and social networks in order to increase the country’s information security, increase people’s awareness of what is happening and people’s participation in anti-crisis measures.

6. To create non-cash payment system and network of online store services that can reduce the circulation of cash and give people opportunity to order necessary goods from home. In case of need, to limit the work of large markets and trading centers, reduce public transport and extend students and schoolchildren holidays. At the same time, in order to provide citizens with everything necessary, to create small mobile and later stationary markets in neighborhoods and local areas in compliance with sanitary standards.

7. To cancel toll fees collection on Dushanbe – Khujand – Chanak road, where at the expense of car owners, entrepreneurs and other citizens the IRS Company earns up to 100 million US dollars a year, which are withdrawn from the country’s economy and settle in offshore bank accounts. Under the conditions of the economic crisis, this measure will reduce the citizens’ expenses and will effect on price decrease of transported goods by reducing the cost of delivery.

8. To declare moratorium on numerous inspections of small and medium businesses for 2020-2021 (except sanitary inspections). To abolish tax and customs benefits for monopolistic companies and provide these benefits to small and medium businesses engaged in the production and delivery of essential goods. To warn the SomonAir Company, the air transportation monopolist about inadmissibility of self-inflating air ticket prices in crisis period and set proper prices for the air tickets.

9.To increase salaries of medical workers, doctors, sanitary workers and those who directly face the threat of dangerous virus.

10. To return the funds transferred to offshore bank accounts back to the country and use them to the needs of the state, for financing budgetary and extra-budgetary national needs and to prevent collapse of the country’s economy.

25.03.2020