The 3rd Meeting of the Basin Dialogues in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins began in Tashkent on December 2 within the framework of the regional program “Climate-sensitive Water Resources Management in Central Asia,” the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen partnerships, establish
During the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20) in Samarkand, a meeting took place between Aziz Abdukhakimov, Adviser to the President on Ecology and Chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and Amna bint Abdullah Al-Dahak Al
The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY) has declared the historical city of Andijan in Uzbekistan the ‘Cultural Capital of the Turkic World’ for 2026. Andijan has taken over the prestigious title from the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, which held the title throughout 2025. TÜRKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev stated: “Aktau has brought together the
The SMART Driving Technology engineering center has been inaugurated at D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, marking a new stage in the development of the Luban Workshop project at the university. Launched in 2023 as a key project of cooperation between Kazakhstan and China in the field of engineering education, the Luban Workshop at the
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan have signed a Statement of Intent to join efforts under the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) initiative, UNDP Uzbekistan reported. The document was signed by Mr. Anas Fayyad Qarman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, and
At the Government session, Minister of Energy Yerlan Akenzhenov reported on strategic development plans for oil refining. According to the minister, in 2024 the volume of oil refining amounted to 17.9 million tons. Domestic refineries demonstrate a high level of digitalization, using advanced American and Japanese automated process control systems (Honeywell and Yokogawa). In accordance with
On December 1, the world marked World AIDS Day under the global theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” emphasizing the need for sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-based approaches to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Kyrgyzstan is making confident strides in the fight against HIV: expanding testing coverage, introducing modern treatment drugs,
Kazakhstan has the best education level in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with 276 out of every 1,000 Kazakhstani citizens holding a university degree, according to an analysis of Finprom.kz based on data from the CIS Statistical Committee. The CIS unites most of the former republics of the Soviet Union. Russia is second with
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $50 million grant to support the Government of Tajikistan in advancing key structural reforms that promote green jobs, particularly for women. The grant, funded through ADB’s Asian Development Fund (ADF) under subprogram 2 of the Enabling Climate-Responsive Business Environment Improvement Program, strengthens economic diversification, improves fiscal governance and transparency, accelerates
On November 28, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched the “Five Million Uzbek AI Prompters” project in Uzbekistan. According to the president, the digital economy’s share in the country’s gross domestic product has doubled. Nearly $2 billion in direct investment has been attracted in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies. In the past years the
The 5th meeting of the Kazakhstan–Switzerland Business Council took place in Astana on November 28 with the participation of Serik Zhumangarin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, and Guy Parmelin, Vice President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councilor for Economic Affairs. The event was organized by Stadler Rail AG and Kazakhstan Temir
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are launching new air routes and developing joint tours along the Silk Road. Starting December 1, Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines will begin operating three new regular flights connecting the historical Kazakh city of Turkestan and the Uzbek cities of Bukhara, Urgench (Khiva), and Samarkand. Flights will operate three times a week. According to
On November 28, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially launched the Program for Eliminating Bureaucracy in Uzbekistan. “We are building the New Uzbekistan guided by a humanistic idea: Not the people should serve the government, but the government should serve our people,” emphasized the President. Uzbekistan has been paying priority attention to eliminating bureaucracy, excessive procedures and
On November 27, Tashkent hosted the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC) and Connectivity Investors Forum with the participation of the European Union, South Caucasus and Central Asian countries, Türkiye, International Development Banks, the private sector and regional partners. The Forum demonstrated how the EU’s Global Gateway strategy is moving from vision to delivery, with new investments designed
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a synthetic local-currency facility of up to $40 million (€34.5 million) to Mortgage Refinancing Company of Uzbekistan (UzMRC), the only domestic mortgage refinancing institution. The loan will enable UzMRC to secure a continuous flow of medium-term local-currency funding, thereby supporting the development of a commercially
Turkmenistan is an important partner of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. Over the past five years, bilateral trade has increased four times and over the last two years, mutual trade has consistently exceeded $500 million, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin said during a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of
The 5th anniversary festival Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art will take place between November 29 and December 2 in Kazakhstan’s Burabay resort. Organized by the Eurasian Creative Guild (London), the festival annually brings together poets, artists, photographers, filmmakers, and creators from all over Eurasian continent. This year, more than 50 participants from 15 countries,
From 26 November to 24 December, a series of training sessions is taking place across all 14 regions of Uzbekistan, including the Republic of Karakalpakstan, aimed at strengthening the role of territorial anti-corruption councils. The program is organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), funded by the European Union, and supported
The 3rd EU–Central Asia Economic Forum demonstrated the growing momentum of the partnership between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia. Coming after the recent first-ever EU–Central Asia Summit in Samarkand and the EU–Central Asia Ministerial meeting in Ashgabat, the Forum in Tashkent on November 26 became the next major milestone in a
On the sidelines of the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), an event was held dedicated to the presentation of the Atlas of Environmental Changes of Uzbekistan. It brought together representatives of government agencies, international organizations, research institutes, and the
