DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN -- A conference marking the closeout of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Land Reform and Market Development Project II (LRMD II) took place on Friday, September 4.  U.S. Charge d'Affaires, Necia Quast and Deputy Prime Minister, Murodali Alimardon were in attendance with stakeholders in the project's effort to help strengthen land-related legislation and land policies in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. 

ILS staffer and Senior Land Attorney, Justin T. Holl, Jr. filled the role of Chief of Party for the project, which is implemented in association with Chemonics International.  The conference served as the culmination of various efforts from the project to educate and provide legal assistance to farmers, to draft legislation and to provide valuable knowledge on appropriate land policies to the Central Asia Region.  The proposed amendments to the Land Code drafted by the Land Policy Working Group indicate great strides towards the inclusion of land-use rights.

Mr. Holl and the project were instrumental in creating a network of regional legal aid centers that have been used widely by tens of thousands of citizens of Tajikistan as they inquire about their rights over land.  Resolving land disputes in court and business plan development were among the many topics the LRMD II project team provided training.  A public awareness campaign driven by television and radio was implemented with great success by the project.

The Tajik Government and USAID have lauded the assistance delivered through LRMD II, which has been reflected by USAID's decision to fund a follow on program to build on the results achieved to date collaboratively by LRMD II in association with the wider donor community, and relevant government agencies.

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International Land Systems (ILS), Inc.:  ILS is a multinational Information Technology company based in Silver Spring, MD.  ILS specializes in creating customized software and Internet solutions for geospatial and land-based applications, such as Land Information Systems (LIS), land records, deeds, registers, cadastre and title registration systems in addition to providing professional services relating to land administration, worldwide.

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