SWITCH-Asia

The EU SWITCH-Asia project Reviving Uzbekistan’s and Tajikistan’s sustainable Ikat and Silk - RUTSIS has officially been launched on 26 November 2020 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Representatives from the Delegations of the European Union to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, government officials, as well as project partners contributed to the event with different speeches, presentations, a contract signature ceremony and a press conference. With adelphi as project lead, RUTSIS aims to promote sustainable growth in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan while contributing to a strengthened cross-cultural dialogue between the countries by contributing to the revival and upgrade of local sustainable silk and Ikat value chains.

“Developing new sustainable products – but always considering the tradition” was the key message from Mr. Francesco Strainero, Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan; a strong message that all participants shared as being a prerequisite for the project's succes. 

Due to travel restrictions under the Covid-19 pandemic, the event saw many participants also joining online. Moderated by Dilshod Mirsaidov, the conference was officially opened with welcoming speeches by representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Technology and Innovations of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan as well as the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of both countries. Representatives from the European Union Delegations to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan held their speeches, both highlighting the relevance of the project for the cooperation between the EU and the two Central Asian countries. 

In the second part of the event, more specific project insights were shared with conference participants. While adelphi presented the project achievements of the last months, as well as the upcoming activities, the two Chambers of Commerce and Industry shared insights on their research on Laws and certification as well as a survey, which was conducted among silk value chain stakeholders. Furthermore, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design explained their vision of a textile database, which they aim to establish throughout and beyond the project. After closing remarks by Dr. Azkar Bazarovich of the Technological University in Dushanbe, who stressed the importance of the modernization along silk value chains in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for increasing the production volume of silk, the conference came to its end with a press conference. 

The duration of the RUTSIS project will be until February 2023. The project covers a wide range of issues affecting the creation of sustainable production and opportunities for improvement in the ikat and silk value chains. Activities will focus on:

• Conducting a needs assessment and informing enterprises about possibilities in value chain, taking into account the requirements of sustainable production;
• Revitalizing and modernizing local silk and ikat value chains;
• Conducting educational trainings and seminars for silk and ikat manufacturers, as well as educational institutions in this field;
• Providing advice to specialized educational institutions that train personnel for the silk industry;
• Revival of the use of environmentally friendly dyes;
• Organization of regional events, cooperation exchanges in the B2B format, fairs and other events with the participation of silk producers;
• Introducing eco-labeling and ultimately creating opportunities for international recognition of environmentally friendly silk and ikat products from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

This project has been launched under the EU SWITCH-Asia programme with the participation of representatives of a consortium, which includes organizations and consulting companies from Germany, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan: adelphi consult GmbH (Germany), Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan, NGO " Tourism Development Center" (Tajikistan), Margilan Crafts Development Centre (Uzbekistan) and Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design.

More information and updates on RUTSIS can be found at adelphi