IS THERE IS A TAJIK DIASPORA?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DUSHANBE 001080 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN DEPT FOR S/GPI MKWALKER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OEXC PREL SCUL SMIG EINV TI SUBJECT: IS THERE IS A TAJIK DIASPORA? REF: STATE 864011 DUSHANBE 00001080 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. (SBU) Post provides responses to reftel as follows: A) To what extent are diasporans from your host country an identifiable community? Are there existing diaspora networks, organizations or online communities available as platforms for outreach? -- There are relatively few Tajiks from Tajikistan in the United States, and they do not form a very large and cohesive community. (Tajiks from Afghanistan, by contrast, are more organized along diasporic lines -- for instance the Afghan community centered in Fremont, California. Post is not aware of any definitive study on the question, but anecdotal evidence suggests that Tajiks from Tajikistan generally identify more and feel more comfortable with other ex-Soviet Central Asians, even those that are ethnically Turkic, than with Tajiks from Afghanistan.) According to some sources, the biggest single enclave of Tajiks from Tajikistan is in Omaha, Nebraska, which began forming as a result of an exchange program between the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Tajik Technological University in the mid-1990s. Many Tajiks stayed after graduating and brought their families over. There is also a sizable population of Afghans in Nebraska owing to a similar exchange. Bukharan Jews who grew up in Tajikistan, many of whom now live in the United States, particularly in and around New York City, might be considered a Tajik diaspora group. Most of Tajikistan's small Jewish community emigrated during the Soviet period. In recent years a couple of small delegations of Bukharan Jews have visited Tajikistan to explore economic opportunities and to support closer ties between the United States and Tajikistan. In contrast to their relatively small and fragmented presence in America, Tajiks form a very large community in Russia. According to some estimates, as many as a million Tajiks (out of a total country population of seven million) work in Russia as labor migrants. While many of these Tajiks are seasonal migrants, and thus perhaps not diasporans per se, there is evidence suggesting that more Tajiks are staying for longer periods of time, partly in response to the global financial crisis. Tajiks in Russia identify more strongly as a community, and have mobilized collectively in many cases. For example, recently there have been protests by Tajiks over unpaid wages in several Russian cities. Mobilization and identification have been supported by the fact that many Tajiks in Russia are employed in just a few economic sectors, particularly construction and services. B) What is the nature of the connection of the diaspora community to the host country? Examples include kinship networks; educational or other institutional ties; financial support as from remittances; and direct participation in community or country affairs and civil society. -- The Tajik economy is extremely dependent on Tajiks working abroad, particularly in Russia. Tajiks sent home nearly $2.7 billion in remittances last year. According to survey research, the majority of Tajik families have at least one member (almost always male, but sometimes female) working in Russia. Indeed, there are some rural communities in Tajikistan that have almost no working-age males, since all are abroad. Most Tajiks in Russia maintain close ties with their families in Tajikistan, and many of them come home during the winters when seasonal work in Russia drops off. As noted above, more Tajiks appear to be staying for longer periods in Russia. The continuous rise in remittances over the past six years suggests that their ties remain strong to Tajikistan, however. Remittances declined for the first time in 2009, as a result of the world financial crisis. Evidence suggests that many Tajiks are hoping to wait the crisis out in Russia. According to IMF figures, the U.S (with 6%) and Germany (with 2%) are next largest sources of remittances to Tajikistan. Although there are relatively few Tajiks in these countries, they tend to be skilled professionals and their per capita remittances are much higher than average. C) To what extent has your host country or government activated its diaspora communities for humanitarian relief? How would you characterize the level of response? If outreach is relatively recent, do you foresee opportunities to maintain diaspora community involvement in country over the long term? DUSHANBE 00001080 002.2 OF 004 -- The Tajik diaspora has made the difference between economic survival and cataclysm for many Tajik families. During the brutal winter of 2007-08, when temperatures plunged to record lows while food and heating prices rose precipitously, most experts believe that systemic crisis was averted only by virtue of a sharp increase in remittances from family members working in Russia. While the government has certainly been aware of the huge importance of remittances, it has made little effort to organize or mobilize the activity of Tajiks working abroad. Most guestworkers continue to maintain active ties directly with their families, through money transfers and seasonal visits, and their activity has not been mediated by the state. D) To what extent is the diaspora community engaged in long-term investment in country, for example micro-enterprise development, job creation, entrepreneurship, and institutional capacity building? What is post's assessment of the future potential for long-term and sustained engagement of the diaspora community in such efforts? -- The Tajik diaspora community -- whether in Russia or elsewhere -- has not engaged in much self-conscious "development" work in Tajikistan. For the most part, Tajiks send money home with the sole goal of assisting their families. While many of the domestic elite have had experience working abroad (some in the upper echelons have worked in the West), with a very few exceptions there is no sense that Tajiks from abroad have returned home to assist their country. As noted above, there are very few Tajiks working in the United States, and there is thus little opportunity to engage Tajiks in America in development efforts. E) To what extent is the diaspora community working toward scientific, engineering, medical and educational institution building? How might diasporans with backgrounds in these fields or otherwise affiliated with the Academy, or professional and technical societies, become engaged in science diplomacy programs? -- There is very little diaspora involvement in these areas. The few Tajiks who gain advanced technical ability in Tajikistan or abroad tend to seek jobs abroad, and often to emigrate. This has in fact been a problem in retaining highly qualified embassy staff. Post is aware of very few Tajiks who have moved in the other direction. Tajikistan's lone private university, the Institute of Technical Innovations and Communications (ITIC),was set up by Tajik-born U.S. citizen Sadriddin Akramov. ITIC has angered authorities by employing outspoken critics of the government. The Ministry of Education recently issued an order forbidding the university from opening for classes on September 1, but ITIC ignored the order. Akramov and the Ministry are engaged in an ongoing court battle. F) To what extent is the diaspora community engaged in conflict resolution and peace building? Do you see future potential to translate diaspora community participation in these processes into other priorities governing the bilateral (and/or regional) relationship? -- There is very little engagement in this area. On the contrary, some Tajiks based in Russia are involved in opposition politics and media. G) To what extent is the diaspora community engaged in meeting the health, education and welfare needs of indigenous peoples? -- For the most part, there is little engagement in this area. The work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) might be considered the one notable exception. Run by the Prince Karim Al Husseini, the Ismaili Aga Khan, the AKDN and its partner organizations are involved in a number of humanitarian and development projects in Tajikistan. While many of these are broad-based, the Aga Khan has concentrated much of its work in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, which has a predominantly Ismaili population. H) To what extent is the diaspora community engaged in democracy promotion, electoral reform and civil society development? Are there key milestones in your host country or host government's development that would create opportunities for such engagement in the future? -- Given the Tajik government's aversion to genuine democratic processes, there would appear to be some potential in this area. The embassy has worked to harness this through exchange DUSHANBE 00001080 003.2 OF 004 programs that offer Tajiks the chance to engage with counterparts in America. High school exchanges, international visitors' leadership programs, and professional exchanges for experts in various fields give Tajiks the chance to experience democratic institutions and practices. Many of these Tajiks, upon returning home, act as important sources of information for their colleagues, friends, and family. The relatively small numbers of Tajiks who have experienced such programs, however, have so far had little effect on the vast democratic challenges facing Tajikistan. I) How would you characterize the level of concern and attention given to diaspora communities by your host government? If applicable, please describe the host government's organization and strategy dedicated to relationship-building with its diaspora communities. For example, host governments may have established promotion offices to encourage diasporans' return, bringing with them know-how and financial resources. -- The government of Tajikistan is deeply concerned with the welfare of the Tajik diaspora because the country is so reliant on the money sent home by Tajiks working abroad. (Indeed, some say the government gets away with spending less per capita on education and health than almost anywhere else in the world because remittances to Tajikistan are higher than anywhere else in the world -- equivalent to 52% of GDP in 2008.) Far from encouraging Tajiks to return home, the government has rather been working to make sure Tajiks can remain abroad. In the wake of the financial crisis it has made some efforts to train returning Tajiks for domestic jobs, but these efforts remain largely on paper. The government has been more active in defending (if only rhetorically) the rights of Tajiks in Russia who have been victims of discrimination or violence. One of the sharpest diplomatic incidents to occur between Tajikistan and Russia followed the murder of a Tajik guestworker last winter. The Republic of Tajikistan has also been seeking out new labor markets for its citizens, particularly in the Middle East. J) If post has undertaken programs to reach out proactively to diaspora community members, please share the circumstances that prompted the outreach effort, how outreach was conducted or programmed, personal impressions from the experience, and benefits from the outreach effort. -- Post works with a very active network of alumni from exchange programs with the United States. These alumni have worked together to promote charity events, brief visiting U.S. dignitaries and policy makers, and contribute formally and informally to post's reporting on economic, social, and political events in Tajikistan. There is no organized effort to reach Tajiks who have worked in Russia, although given their prevalence post encounters such individuals daily. K) If post has received unsolicited requests from the diaspora community, please share the nature the requests, the considerations post took into account in formulating respective responses, and the outcomes of interaction. -- Post has received no such requests to date. L) To what extent has post designed or participated in public diplomacy programs customized to diaspora community needs and interests? Does post anticipate taking advantage of such opportunities in the future? (Ref. A is one example.) -- See response to J, above. M) In planning future programs and anticipating requests for assistance from diaspora community actors, what types of knowledge management tools and information materials would be most helpful to action officers at post? If the Department were to develop a reach-back program to academics in the field of diaspora community engagement, what are post's preferences for accessing such a mechanism? -- Given the immense challenges facing Tajikistan, one of the poorest and least-developed countries in Asia, there is certainly opportunity to engage diaspora communities in providing assistance here. But there are numerous challenges: the very small numbers of Tajiks in the west with the skills, education, and resources to provide assistance; the tendency of those few Tajiks who do develop advanced skills domestically to emigrate; the concern of most Tajik guestworkers with the raw fundamentals of life -- putting food on the tables of their families, rather than engaging in broader development efforts; and the government's poor business and investment climate, which acts as a disincentive for Tajiks (or others) interested in development, whether for profit or not. Post is ready and DUSHANBE 00001080 004.2 OF 004 willing to work with the Department to engage the diaspora community to the extent these challenges can be overcome. ¶2. (U) Point of contact at Embassy Dushanbe is Economic Officer Daniel Kronenfeld. GROSS