The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, received a delegation from the World Bank Group led by Managing Director of Operations Anna Bjerde.
The meeting focused on further developing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and the World Bank, particularly the Bank’s support for the country’s ongoing economic reform strategy.
Anna Bjerde conveyed sincere greetings and best wishes to the President of Uzbekistan from World Bank President Ajay Banga.
The exceptionally high level of productive partnership achieved in recent years was noted with deep satisfaction.
Uzbekistan is one of the World Bank’s largest partners, with a project portfolio exceeding $12 billion. The World Bank provides financial, advisory, and technical support for implementing reforms to ensure sustainable development in priority sectors of the economy and the social sphere.
With the Bank’s assistance, a new procedure has been adopted to improve the mechanisms, accelerate the preparation, and enhance the quality of projects involving international financial institutions.
Priority areas for continued practical partnership were identified as poverty reduction, primarily through job creation for women and youth, including in the tourism sector, support for the private sector and public-private partnership development programs, and the transformation and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
Special attention was given to joint plans in the areas of decarbonization, urbanization, and infrastructure modernization, improving energy efficiency, enhancing the investment climate, and supporting Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Views were also exchanged regarding the advancement of major regional projects.