09.03.2023

On March 9, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received a delegation of the World Bank under the leadership of Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia.

The current issues of expanding strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and the World Bank Group, as well as an active participation of this leading international institution in advancing the reform agenda in our country, have been discussed.

At the beginning of the meeting, Uzbek President sincerely congratulated Anne Bjerde on her recent appointment and wished her every success in her new responsible position.

The positive dynamics and effectiveness of practical interaction have been noted with great satisfaction. In recent years, the portfolio of joint projects has increased significantly, exceeding $10 billion. At the same time, a half of the funding since 2017 has been allocated in the last few years. Currently, Uzbekistan has become one of the largest beneficiaries of the Bank.

A Partnership Program for 2022-2026, based on key directions of the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy, has been adopted and is being implemented. A significant progress has been made in such areas as reducing poverty, transforming the energy sector and the transition to a "green" economy, launching privatization, developing a strategy to attract foreign investment, supporting the health care system and many others.

The Vice President reaffirmed the World Bank's strong determination to continue supporting our country's strategy of irreversible reforms.

The Bank intends to actively promote large-scale plans to reduce poverty, elaborate the strategy for developing and financing business projects, modernize rural infrastructure and medium-sized cities, employ women and provide vocational training for young people, and implement health care strategy for 2030.

The priorities of cooperation include decarbonizing the economy and developing alternative energy, formulating master plans for power generation and electricity transmission, programs to improve energy efficiency and sustainable operation of energy system in emergency situations, and the attraction of expert assistance and funding for hydropower projects.

The outcomes of the joint event dedicated to the discussion of Country Climate and Development Report have been highly appreciated. A particular attention has been paid to the issues of continuing practical work in the field of budget support, land reform, increasing the efficiency of financing agriculture and water sector, as well as accelerating the privatization program of state banks and enterprises.

It has been noted that the World Bank's Country Platform will be widely used to promote reforms and priority projects.

The significance of the Bank's participation in implementing strategic regional projects aimed at ensuring stability and sustainable development in Central Asia has been emphasized.

The agreement on adopting the joint "road map" for accelerating the preparation and implementation of priority projects has been reached.