Since 1993, the EU has provided the republic with 153 million euros (US $182 million) worth of humanitarian aid.

Made up of an ethnic mix of Tajiks, Uzbeks and Russians, in 2004 Tajikistan experienced a further relative improvement in its overall humanitarian situation. International donor support remained strong - reaffirmed at a conference in London in February - but with a noticeable change of emphasis towards greater long-term development assistance to the mountainous nation and less on humanitarian aid. Mirroring this trend, in May, the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO) reaffirmed its plans to scale back humanitarian activities in Tajikistan over the next three years. Since 1993, the EU has provided the republic with 153 million euros (US $182 million) worth of humanitarian aid. But huge needs remain. Poverty has driven approximately 1 million Tajiks to seek better fortunes abroad, primarily in Russia. Over 83 percent of the population live below the national poverty line. A full 17 percent of the country's 6.3 million population is considered destitute. Food insecurity - particularly in rural areas - remains a key humanitarian issue.The education and healthcare systems continue to deteriorate, worsening the prospects for current and future generations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) continued to assist Tajikistan under its Protected Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), marking a transition from humanitarian relief to recovery and development in the country. "Tajikistan is a low-income and food-deficit country needing food assistance," the WFP country director, Ardag Meghdessian, told IRIN. "The shift of emphasis from relief to recovery indeed indicates increased stability in the country, as well as an improvement of the overall humanitarian situation," he said, adding that the devastating two-year drought in 2000 and 2001 was over.