The International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with the European Union (EU) and national stakeholders, have launched the project “Promoting decent work and preventing child and forced labour in Turkmenistan”. Running from 2026 to 2027 and funded by the EU, the ILO-implemented initiative aims at addressing child labour and forced labour while promoting decent work,
Samarkand will once again become a global platform for discussions on some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. From 30 May to 6 June, the Silk Road Samarkand complex will host the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change has announced. The Assembly will bring
The VI Tashkent Anti-Corruption Forum is taking place on May 12-13, bringing together 220 national and international stakeholders to advance joint discussions and actions supporting corruption-free governance. The Forum was organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency and the National Anti-Corruption Council of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
On 11 May in Astana, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Mauro Vieira, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit. The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, including political, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian interaction, as well as coordination within
Content creators and information professionals took part in a series of training workshops which were held in Ashgabat from 29 April to 6 May. Each workshop attracted around 30 participants, including content creators, media professionals, educators, and students, all interested in enhancing creative ideas, raising professional standards, and promoting the responsible use of modern digital
An informal summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will be hosted by Kazakhstan on 15 May 2026 in Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic World, under the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.” The summit will bring together the heads of state and government of
A new transit corridor has been established for transporting goods from China to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan, TOLOnews reported. Officials from the country’s transport sector and the company Uztemiryulkonteyner have stated that this route is a combination of rail and road transport. According to the plan, containers first move from China by railway, pass through Kazakhstan
On May 6, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Pre-school and School Education of Uzbekistan handed over 4,060 Climate Box educational toolkits to schools across the country, UNDP Uzbekistan reported. The initiative aims to strengthen climate education nationwide by equipping teachers with practical, ready-to-use materials and increasing students’ awareness
A bilateral technical meeting of the working group on the implementation of the provisions of the Agreement between the Governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the mutual application of electronic systems for the certification of origin of goods was held in Tashkent, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported. The initiative is being
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has put forward an initiative to create a Central Asia Tourism Ring. The proposal was made at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the city of Samarkand on May 4, the Uzbek Tourism Committee reported. The President of Uzbekistan highlighted
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and with financial support from the Government of Japan, has officially commissioned five energy-efficient pilot sites in the Syrdarya and Tashkent regions. These sites, now handed over to local Khokimiyats, mark a significant step forward in Uzbekistan’s journey toward decarbonization
Today, Uzbekistan’s economy is undergoing an entirely new phase of development. Since 2016, the country has embarked on major reforms to liberalize the economy, create an attractive investment environment, participate proactively in global value chains, renew the social and production infrastructure, and improve living standards, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in his address at the
On May 1–2, the opening of the “Central Asian Moto Season 2026” was held through the cooperation of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan and the Central Asian Motorcycle Association. According to the Tourism Committee, this project, now held for the third time, is one of the most vibrant events of motorcycle culture in Central Asia
From May 24 to July 12, the 65th International Flower Festival will be held in Namangan. As part of the festival, organized by the Tourism Committee and the Namangan regional administration (khokimiyat), more than 150 events of international and national scale are planned, including cultural and educational programs, theatrical and circus performances, gala concerts, fashion
Central Asia is a region prone to disasters, and earthquakes remain among its greatest risks. In April 1966, Tashkent was struck by a devastating earthquake that left more than 300,000 people displaced. Although the city was rebuilt and transformed into the modern Tashkent we know today, the remnants of that tragedy continue to endure. Other
Foreign visitors encounter critical difficulties using public Wi-Fi networks in Uzbekistan. The main obstacle is the mandatory SMS authorization using a local phone number, which makes internet access unavailable immediately upon arrival, Tashkent Today reports. Key problems: • Tashkent Airport: Connecting to the Wi-Fi network requires an Uzbek SIM card, which tourists do not have
On April 25, in Bishkek, energy and water ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan discussed ensuring the sustainable and coordinated operation of Central Asia’s water and energy systems during the upcoming 2026 growing season. The meeting focused on mutual obligations of each country. The ministers noted the historical interconnectedness of national energy systems, with
A meeting was held last week between the Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Environmental Issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Aziz Abdukhakimov and the Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, Huang Runqiu. The parties discussed environmental cooperation between Uzbekistan and China, with a focus on the
At its 82nd session in Bangkok last week, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), by consensus of its 52 member States, approved a resolution on the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development in Almaty, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. According to Kazakhstan’s Permanent
The United States and Tajikistan have signed a five-year bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), marking the first such MOU concluded under the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) in South and Central Asia, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe. Working with Congress, the Department of State intends to provide $38 million in U.S. global health assistance through this bilateral