The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million equivalent policy-based loan to support Kazakhstan in strengthening fiscal sustainability and enhancing financial sector resilience. The loan supports subprogram 2 of the Fiscal Governance and Financial Sector Reforms Program, which builds on progress made under subprogram 1 and focuses on two areas: strengthening fiscal sustainability, management, transparency,
The Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan last week hosted a roundtable discussion to present the findings of the study “The Role of Investigative Journalism in Strengthening Uzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Ecosystem: Challenges and Solutions,” conducted jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding from the European Union (EU). The study examined the current state of investigative journalism
On June 11, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov chaired the 19th meeting of the Kazakhstan–European Union dialogue platform with the participation of heads of diplomatic missions of European countries, representatives of major foreign business associations, and companies. The meeting discussed issues of the investment climate, harmonization of technical standards and regulatory approaches, customs administration,
Three environmental heavyweights took to the stage at the opening ceremony of Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 in Samarkand on 2 June: Grethel Aguilar, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Inger Andersen, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); and Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President
Hosting the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly and Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 in Samarkand this month, Uzbekistan seized the opportunity to advance its ambitions to become a world leader in green finance and climate innovation. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s speech at the opening ceremony of the GEF Assembly on 4 June, 2026 was delivered by
In recent years, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Uzbekistan has been growing significantly. According to the Uzbek Tourism Committee, following the introduction of a visa-free regime, the tourist flow from China increased 3.5-fold. In the first five months of 2026, 178,121 Chinese citizens visited Uzbekistan, 78% more compared to the same period in 2024.
The United States and Uzbekistan on June 3 marked the restoration of the Sherdor façade at Samarkand’s Registan Square. The project, which is being implemented between 2025 and 2028, is supported by a grant of $500,000 from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) — the largest AFCP award ever granted in Uzbekistan, according
Kyrgyzstan’s airlines have been removed from the European Union’s Air Safety List, the Kyrgyz presidential press service announced on June 8. According to the press service, Kyrgyzstan was notified by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport that all air carriers certified in the country had been removed from the list, which includes airlines
From May 30 to June 6, Samarkand became a global platform for discussing the key environmental challenges of our time, hosting the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the 71st GEF Council Meeting. For the first time in history, the Assembly was held in Central Asia, bringing together representatives from 186 countries,
Over 5.352 million international tourists arrived in Uzbekistan during the first five months of 2026. More than 1.3 million foreign tourists visited Uzbekistan in May alone, according to the country’s Tourism Committee. This represents an increase of 1.148 million visitors, or 27.3 percent, compared to the same period last year. The sustained growth highlights Uzbekistan’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing
Mountains are not passive backdrops to human history; they are dynamic, living systems that have shaped civilizations, economies, and ecosystems for millennia. Nowhere is this more evident than in Central Asia, home to some of the world’s most formidable ranges—the Pamirs, Tian Shan, Hindu Kush, Altai, and Ural. These mountains are more than geological formations;
On the sidelines of the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Samarkand, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of Uzbekistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new initiative, “Supporting Implementation of the Stockholm Convention through the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste in Uzbekistan,” aimed at strengthening
On June 3, on the sidelines of the 71st meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, the Government of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), officially launched the preparatory phase of the Nature4Health Uzbekistan initiative. The launch marks Uzbekistan’s official accession to the second phase of Nature4Health (N4H)
For the first time in its history, Kyrgyzstan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term. The UN Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members with veto power — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — and ten non-permanent members elected by
On June 2 in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting with representatives of the business circles of Hong Kong and mainland China. The event was attended by about 70 business representatives, including 40 companies from Hong Kong and 30 companies from mainland China operating in
On June 2, the official opening ceremony of the international environmental exhibition Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 was held in Samarkand. The event brought together representatives from over 100 countries, heads of international organizations, investors, manufacturers of eco-friendly products, eco-innovators, as well as government officials and members of the expert community, according to the National
On June 2, within the framework of the Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 international exhibition, a side event titled “Islands of Resilience: Conserving Ecosystem Services in the Lower Amu Darya and Aral Sea Basin” took place in Samarkand. The event was dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems in the Aral Sea region, sustainable land and
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, visited leading research centers and universities in Belgium, where he discussed prospects for cooperation in deep tech, semiconductor technologies, critical materials, artificial intelligence, engineering education, and scientific and technological development. The minister visited the Imec research center in Leuven, Belgium—one of the world’s leading centers for
The 71st meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council has officially opened in Samarkand ahead of the Eighth GEF Assembly and the Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 international exhibition. The event brings together representatives from 186 GEF member countries, international organizations, financial institutions, environmental agencies, civil society and the private sector, according to the
Afghanistan’s modern political history cannot be understood without examining the intersection of war, ethnicity, and state identity. From the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the return of the Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan has repeatedly experienced ruptures that have reshaped not only its political system, but also its internal ethnic balance. At the centre of this