Day of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Agencies Employees in Tajikistan Date in the current year: August 17, 2024

Unlike many other professional holidays celebrated in former Soviet republics, Rescuers’ Day does not have a long history. There was no such professional holiday in the Soviet Union, so all former Soviet republics that have established a professional holiday for their rescuers since the collapse of the USSR celebrate it on different dates: September 4 in Armenia, January 19 in Belarus, October 19 in Kazakhstan, December 27 in Russia, September 17 in Ukraine, May 17 in Latvia, and August 17 in Tajikistan.

The central agency in charge of rescue operations and disaster relief in Tajikistan is the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee of Tajikistan. It split from the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan and became an independent agency on August 17, 1994. That is why the Day of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Agencies Employees is celebrated on this day.

The Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee of Tajikistan consists of:

• chairman’s office
• a number of specialized departments and directorates (Main Directorate of Civil Defense, Main Directorate of Population and Territory Protection, Directorate of Troops, Directorate of Construction and Building Maintenance, etc.)
• regional branches (Dushanbe, Khatlon Region, Sughd Region, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region)
• two paramilitary mine rescue services
• anti-hail service
• training and resource center
• chemical and radiology laboratory
• military hospital

The organization of civil defense in Tajikistan is regulated by the laws of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Civil Defense”, “On the Protection of Population and Territories from Natural and Man-Made Disasters”, “On Emergency Rescue Services, Emergency Rescue Troops and the Status of Rescuers” and “On State Material Reserve”, as well as a number of government decrees.

The Day of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Agencies Employees in Tajikistan is marked by special events attended by senior officials of the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee, heads of some ministries and departments, foreign diplomats, and representatives of international organizations. These events include, for example, concerts, awards ceremonies, and rescue equipment exhibitions.

On the occasion of their professional holiday, Tajikistani rescuers accept congratulations and gratitude for their selfless work and willingness to risk their health and lives to save other people.