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Dushanbe, February 27, 2007 –
Earlier this month, the Central Directorate of the State Fire Fighting Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan and IFC hosted a National Conference on Fire Inspection Procedures for SMEs. The goal of the conference was to educate entrepreneurs about effective fire prevention measures and changes to fire inspection procedures resulting from the Inspections Law adopted by the government of Tajikistan in summer 2006.
Following the adoption of the Inspections Law, the State Fire Fighting Service and IFC’s Business Enabling Environment/Small and Medium Enterprises Policy Project in Tajikistan, financed by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), began a nationwide public awareness campaign to educate entrepreneurs in Tajikistan’s retail trade sector on fire prevention measures and inspection rules. The campaign included distribution of fire prevention posters throughout major cities in Tajikistan. In addition, educational sessions on fire prevention measures and inspection rules were organized in hospitals, boarding schools and other social services facilities. The National Conference on Fire Inspection Procedures was the next important step in this campaign, according to Andrea Dall’Olio, IFC Project Manager. “This conference furthers the goal of the State Fire Fighting Service to streamline fire inspections procedures and reduce administrative burden for SMEs. As a result of our collaboration, a year from now we hope to have fewer fire inspections, but safer working conditions for SMEs,” Dall’Olio said.
According to General N. Djangiev, Head of the Central Directorate of the State Fire Fighting Service, 65 fires occurred in Tajikistan’s retail trade sector in 2006. Nearly 2,000 entrepreneurs suffered as a result. Among the reasons for the fires are short circuits in hand-made heating devices that are widely used in retail settings. “People use these dangerous non-certified devices because of insufficient legal awareness on fire inspection procedures,” Djangiev explained.
Dall’Olio anticipates that the public awareness campaign, the conference, and informational literature distributed to entrepreneurs, including procedural checklists specific to the retail sector will result in a better understanding of inspection rules among entrepreneurs, and will ultimately increase the transparency of the regulations. “Entrepreneurs will be more likely to comply with regulations that are easily understood, transparent, and sector specific. We are happy to see that the State Fire Fighting Service will be the first agency in Tajikistan to introduce these changes," Dall’Olio said.
Among the speakers were the Heads of departments of Fire Fighting Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Head of TojikGaz, the Head of Energy Supervision Department of the Ministry of Energy, and the Head of the State Security Council.
About IFC
The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral provider of financing for private enterprise in developing countries. IFC finances private sector investments, mobilizes capital in international financial markets, facilitates trade, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to businesses and governments. From its founding in 1956 through FY06, IFC has committed more than $56 billion of its own funds for private sector investments in the developing world and mobilized an additional $25 billion in syndications for 3,531 companies in 140 developing countries. With the support of funding from donors, it has also provided more than $1 billion in technical assistance and advisory services. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
About SECO
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs is the Swiss Confederation's competence center for all the core issues related to economic policy. It aims to create the basic regulatory and economic policy conditions to enable business to flourish for the benefit of all. SECO also represents Switzerland in the large multilateral trade organizations and international negotiations and is involved in efforts to reduce poverty and help developing countries with transition economies build sustainable democratic societies and viable market economies. Each year, Switzerland spends about 1.9 billion Swiss francs on development cooperation and transition assistance to countries.
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