Statement by UNICEF Tajikistan Representative on adoption of Tajikistan’s First National Programme on Protection of Child Rights for 2026-2030.

Today, we are delighted to congratulate the Republic of Tajikistan on the adoption of its first National Programme on Child Rights Protection for 2026-2030 – a landmark achievement that reflects the country's growing commitment to building a society where every child can grow up safe, protected, respected, and able to reach their full potential. With the adoption of its first-ever National Programme on the Protection of Child Rights, the country shows the political will to move from shared values to concrete action – building the system to protect every child. Timing makes it all the more significant. As Tajikistan marks 35 years of independence, it remains a young country in every sense: More than 40 per cent of its people are children.  The future of the country will be shaped by the experiences, opportunities, and protection that these children receive today. The decisions made for those children today will shape the nation for decades.

The National Programme provides a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening the child protection system – it enhances laws, policies, institutions and frontline workforce that stand between a child and harm. It expands social services for children and families. It brings schools, health services, social services and justices' systems together to protect children that come in contact with them. And it puts a simple principle at the center of public policy: every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment, free from violence, neglect, exploitation and abuse.

This achievement also builds on real momentum. In 2024, Tajikistan banned Corporal Punishment in all settings. The new Programme takes the next step – ensuring children are protected not only by laws on paper, but by services that reach them, professionals trained to help them and social norms that make non-violent upbringing the norm rather than exception. The economic case and potential are straightforward: Investing in child protection is amongst one of the highest-return investments a country can make. Children who grow up safe and supported learn more, earn more and contribute more – the dividends begin in this generation and compound into stronger human capital, social cohesion and sustainable development in the decades ahead. Protection of children is not a cost of development; it’s the foundation of it. 

UNICEF commends the Government of Tajikistan for this landmark step, and we are committed to standing alongside it through what matters most: implementation. A programme is only as strong as the system it builds and the lives it changes.

A society that protects its children protects its future. We look forward to helping Tajikistan build that future - together.