Social Investments and Standards of Gender Equality Strengthened under the Rogun HPP Project

The Rogun Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project places strong emphasis on gender equality and social protection in line with its environmental and social standards. Alongside the development of major energy infrastructure, the project consistently implements measures to safeguard citizens’ rights, support affected communities, and comply with modern international environmental and social requirements.

At the core of the project’s social framework is the Gender Action Plan (GAP), which aims to protect the rights of and expand opportunities for women, girls, and vulnerable groups. The GAP promotes the active participation of women in affected communities in the workforce by ensuring equal access to employment opportunities, vocational training, and skills development programs.

To ensure a safe and respectful working environment – both on construction sites and within surrounding communities – the project enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of discrimination, violence, harassment, and exploitation.

The project's Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) calls for the recruitment of social specialists, whose responsibilities also include gender issues. One of the key roles of these specialists is to ensure a transparent complaints mechanism, including the possibility of anonymous submission and the consideration of sensitive complaints.

This is particularly important for ensuring gender security and the protection of women's rights. This approach is fully consistent with the requirements of the Republic of Tajikistan's legislation on gender equality and women's rights, as well as international best practices in the field of gender security and human rights.

The project’s social commitments include comprehensive resettlement and livelihood restoration programs designed to provide affected households with fair compensation, quality housing, and sustainable living conditions in new locations. Resettlement is approached not merely as a technical requirement, but as a broader social development initiative that facilitates access to modern infrastructure, including schools, healthcare facilities, and reliable water supply systems.

Special attention is given to restoring and strengthening household incomes through vocational training, employment support, and small business development initiatives. Regular stakeholder consultations form an integral part of project implementation, ensuring that community perspectives are meaningfully incorporated into decision-making processes.

In addition, a Benefit Sharing Program allocates a portion of project revenues to social and community priorities, including support for vulnerable populations, thereby contributing to the long-term socio-economic development of the project regions.

The Rogun HPP project is guided by the principles of transparency, inclusive dialogue, and participatory decision-making.

"We're not just building a dam - we're creating a new social ecosystem in which economic growth is intimately linked to the well-being of affected families, as well as to the ensuring and protection of the rights of all people - both directly and indirectly affected by the project implementation."