A/HRC/42/47/Add.6 Development Programme and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, in partnership with Oxfam Great Britain. This project includes plans on tariff policy development (tariff calculation methodology, justified tariff setting, full cost recovery, transparency & accountability); tax policy development (review and development of recommendations to introduce an affordable and fair tax for rural drinking water supply systems).10 29. While the Special Rapporteur shares the view that Sustainable Development Goal targets 6.1 and 6.2 cannot be achieved without the participation of multiple actors, it is not clear from the response received what concrete plans and measures have been taken by the Government to prioritize rural water and sanitation. Without evidence of concrete and targeted plans for increasing the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation in rural areas, it is difficult to assess whether the Government’s course of action in this sphere will, in fact, help to create equity between rural and urban dwellers. However, he regards it as vital to convey to the Government that simply applying the same measures and standards to rural areas as are currently applied in urban areas is not sufficient to achieve targets 6.1 and 6.2 because the gap between urban and rural will continue not to be closed. LIMITED PROGRESS: Whilst the Special Rapporteur appreciates the fact that the Government has developed a national strategy and programmes in which it addresses the quality of water and access to water and sanitation services by urban and rural populations, according to the information received, the national strategy and programme does not explicitly prioritize rural water and sanitation, as recommended. Accordingly, he reiterates his recommendation that the Government gives special priority to rural water and sanitation. E. Recommendation on independent regulator RECOMMENDATION 6: “Start a discussion without delay on the establishment of an independent regulator with competence to monitor the compliance of water and sanitation service providers with the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation.” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.2, para. 59(j)) 30. There is no independent regulator for water and sanitation in Tajikistan, and during his official visit the Special Rapporteur was told that there were no plans to establish one. Whilst the Government has engaged in some regulatory work, setting standards and monitoring the quality of water, the Special Rapporteur observed that these efforts are insufficient as they fail to include consideration of most sanitation services, and do not judge compliance in the context of the normative content of the rights to water and sanitation (A/HRC/33/49/Add.2, para. 14). 31. The Special Rapporteur has not received a clear response from the Government regarding the progress it has made towards achieving this recommendation. According to research conducted for this follow-up report, the Water Sector Reform Programme for 2016-2025 does include discussion of some regulatory reform processes, however an assessment carried out by the World Bank in 2017, found that this reform is hindered by a number of obstacles such as “the presence of a large amount of debt within the sector; resistance from the SUE KMK (Housing and Communal Service) to partial decentralization of selected policy, regulatory, and operation functions; and lack of clarity as to whether or not the to-be-created regional structures will fit within the existing regulatory structures at the regional level.”11 32. Additionally, there was a project called “Support to effective regulatory framework and private sector involvement for drinking water supply and sanitation sector in Tajikistan”, with funding of US $250,000 provided by the United Nations Development 10 11 8 United Nations Development Programme, “Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (Phase II)”. World Bank, Glass Half Full: Poverty Diagnostic of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Conditions in Tajikistan, August 2017. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/27830.