The 6th session of the Consultative Council under the President of Republic of Tajikistan took place on July 23, 2010, chaired by the President of the country, Mr. Emomali Rakhmon. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Head of the Council, opened the 6th session of the Consultative Council and introduced new members of the Consultative Council from the private sector: Ms. G. Mahkamova — Chairman of the Association of Business Women of Tajikistan,  Mr. S. Khakimov — Director of CJSC “Agroindustrial Centre “Guliston”and Mr. R. Kosimov — Chairman of Public Found “Internet”. Mr. N. Zabyrov was authorized for  one more term.  Mr. A. Aqilov — the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan made a speech on the first point of the agenda, on implementation of the Plan of Further Measures of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for improvement of investment climate and indicators of the Republic of Tajikistan in international rating and on the process of implementation of the decisions of the Consultative Council on Improvement of the Investment Climate under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. In the summation of the speech of the Prime Minister, Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Head of the Council, pointed out that monitoring and supervision of decisions and orders of the President of Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of Tajikistan, as a result of recommendations of the Consultative Council on Improvement of the Investment Climate under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan should be strengthened and taken seriously. He pointed for the need to take further measures to strengthen public private partnership, including increasing the feel of responsibility and awareness of the private sector. As an example, it was recommended to establish training courses at the existing higher education institutions of the country and centres of states and regionswhere entrepreneurs can learn the experience of foreign countries and improve the culture of doing business. Mr. D. Saidov — the Council Executive Secretary, Chairman of the State Committee for Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan, made a speech on the second point of the agenda — endorsement of draft Plan of Further Measures of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for implementation of information and communication technology programs for improvement of e-government. In his speech, he pointed out, that with the view of advancing further reforms in the area of information and communication technology, studies and analysis were conducted by the private sector and a draft Plan of Further Measures of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for implementation of programs for improvement of e-government was developed. The President of Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon supported the proposed draft Plan and pointed out the positive aspects of introducing of e-government such as: strengthening the interaction between all government bodies, transparency of operations (including taxation and customs operations), systematization of monitoring and supervision, limitation of corruption in the government bodies and reducing budget spending. He also pointed to the need of time and financing for the full scale introduction of the Plan. First of all, there is a need to prepare qualified human resources. In this relation, it was proposed to the international organizations to consider the possibilities of financing and providing technical assistance in support of implementation of the Program. The  third issue of the agenda — endorsement of the draft State target program on strengthening fruit and vegetable processing sector export capacity for the years of 2010-2012 was presented by the chairman of Accociastion of entrepreneurs and exporters of Tajikistan — Mr. N. Zabirov.  Mrs. D. Hertrams — the Ambassador of Federative Republic of Germany in Republic of Tajikistan presented the draft program. In her speech she pointed to the importance of adoption of the Program, taking into account the uniqueness of Tajikistan as an agrarian country. She especially pointed, that financing of the Program will be provided by GTZ, DFID and USAID without seeking resources from the budget. The chairman of National Assostaion of dehkan farmers of Tajikistan Mr. A. Sharipov, has also supported the Plan. The draft Program includes the short and long term measures for the development of the fruit and vegetable processing industries. The private sector, government and donors will participate jointly in its implementation and it will be fully financed by donors.  Mr. Ulf Hindstrom –Head of EBRD Country Office in Tajikistan, Mr. Jeffrey Lehrer — the Director of the US Agency on International Development (USAID) in Tajikistan, and  Mr. J. Linn — UNDP Senior Fellow, have  made speeches on advancement of further cooperation with international community in the framework of the decisions of the Consultative Council, including the implementation of Plan of Further Measures of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for improvement of the investment climate and indicators of the Republic of Tajikistan in international rating.   In particular, they pointed to the positive developments in the work of the Consultative Council, as well as increasing the role of the private sector in the work of the Consultative Council and its active participation in development and implementation of the proposed Programs. During the speeches of representatives of international donor organizations, the President of Republic of Tajikistan has made a number of propositions, by briefly presenting the problems that frequently face the entrepreneurs of the country, especially in agriculture sector. It was proposed to strengthen the cooperation between the Government, private sector and donor organizations on the issues related to lending, including the cotton sector, provision with agricultural machinery and inputs, population’s access to the produce of the sector and their export, as well as processing and marketing of the agriculture produce. It was mentioned that these developments can ensure additional budget revenue, increase investment to the agriculture sector, and provide access to non-budget sources of financing and demand for the produced agricultural products, while stabilizing market of the agricultural products. The assistance of international donor organizations can promote increase in number of enterprise of processing industry, encourage producers in agriculture sector and as result help Tajikistan to overcome the economic crisis. The President of Republic of Tajikistan encouraged donors to submit information to the Government of Tajikistan on completion of planned measures, as well as participate not only in public private dialogue but also in implementation of taken decisions. On the 4th issue of the agenda of the 7th  session of the Consultative Council Mr. Davlatali Saidov, the Council Executive Secretary, Chairman of the State Committee for Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan has spoke and proposed to consider in the next session of the Consultative Council issues related to further improvement of investment climate in the construction sector, in particular pricing system, bidding and inspection procedures. In his speech Mr. D. Saidov noted that consideration of the issue on further improvement of investment climate in the construction sector will help to further improve the investment climate in construction sector and development of the construction sector, including development of housing and other buildings for the population, improving the quality and safety of the buildings. This issue was initiated by the Association of Builders of Tajikistan in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Investment Council and the State Committee for Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan. In this relation it was suggested to create a working group involving relevant ministries, agencies and  private sector representatives to prepare necessary documents for consideration in the next session of the Consultative Council.   The President of Tajikistan supported the proposal and instructed the Agency for Construction and Architecture under the Government of Republic of Tajikistan, as well as other relevant ministries and agencies with involvement of the private sector to conduct the needed analysis and submit their proposals for resolution of the issues.  At last part of the session the President of Republic of Tajikistan has given the word to Mr. Mr. Johannes Linn, who mentioned in his speech, the positive achievements of Tajikistan on improvement of investment climate. He pointed that there is already an adequate legal and normative base for the development and support of the private sector, although there are some issues with its implementation, where the focus and attention should be directed.  Mr. Johannes Linn pointed to the timelines of the introduction of information and communication technologies and suggested to build on the positive experience of other countries in implementation of the planned measures as well as supported timeliness of consideration of the issues related to the improvement of investment climate in the construction sector in the next session of the Consultative Council. In addition it is necessary to consider the issues related to the legislation and regulation framework but also envisage measures for their implementation. In the conclusion Mr. Johannes Linn emphasized the importance of the Consultative Council in resolution of problems related to the improvement of investment and business climate in Tajikistan, pointing to the importance of collaboration of Government, private sector and international community through the Consultative Council. In his final speech President of Republic of Tajikistan mentioned that currently with the relevant legislation framework the problems with their implementation as well as low level of awareness of the entrepreneurs about the legislation has to be addressed. The situation with the investment climate is becoming difficult because of lack of financing of the agriculture sector, which is important for Tajikistan. Despite the fact that Tajikistan has achieved significant results in international ratings, it is important to continue with the efforts in this direction, with a more active involvement of the private sector as well as donor organizations, while giving a special attention to the issues of the agriculture sector, including production, marketing, processing and export of agricultural products. In conclusion of the session President of Republic of Tajikistan expressed his satisfaction with the work of the Consultative Council with wider involvement of the representatives of the private sector, thanked attendees for participation and hoped for continued fruitful cooperation.