The President of Uzbekistan called for the expansion of strategic partnership with the World Bank

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

Topical issues of expanding strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and the World Bank Group, as well as the active participation of this leading international institution
in promoting the reform program in our country were discussed.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Head of state sincerely congratulated Anna Bjerde on her recent new appointment and wished her great success in her responsible post.

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

The Partnership Program for 2022-2026 has been adopted and is being implemented, based on the key directions of the Development Strategy of the New Uzbekistan. We have made significant progress in such areas as the fight against poverty, the transformation of the energy sector and the transition to a "green" economy, the launch of privatization, the development of a strategy to attract foreign investment, support for the health system and many others.

The Vice President confirmed the firm determination of the World Bank to continue supporting the strategy of irreversible reforms in our country.

The Bank intends to actively contribute to large-scale plans to combat poverty, develop a strategy for the development and financing of business projects, modernize rural infrastructure and medium-sized cities, women's employment and youth vocational education, and implement the health strategy until 2030.

Decarbonization of the economy and development of alternative energy, development of master plans in the field of generation and transmission of electricity, programs to improve energy efficiency and the regime of sustainable operation of the power system in emergency situations, attraction of expert assistance and financing of hydropower projects are identified as priorities of cooperation.

The results of the joint event devoted to the discussion of the Country Report on Climate Change and development of Uzbekistan were highly appreciated.

Particular attention is paid to the issues of continuing practical work in the field of budget support, land reform, improving the efficiency of financing agriculture and water management, as well as accelerating the privatization program of state-owned banks and enterprises.

It was noted that the opportunities of the World Bank's "Country Platform" will be widely used to promote reforms and priority projects.

The importance of the Bank's participation in the implementation of strategic regional projects aimed at ensuring stability and sustainable development in Central Asia was emphasized.

An agreement was reached on the adoption of a joint roadmap to accelerate the preparation and implementation of priority projects.