The Central Asian Forum of Women Farmers, held on 8 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, emphasized the significant achievements of women in local agribusiness. At the same time, it highlighted the challenges they encounter in this key sector of the economy, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported. The Forum brought together officials
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved additional grant financing of $15 million to help Tajikistan scale up an ongoing project to reconnect the country’s power system to the Central Asian Power System (CAPS) through interconnections with neighboring Uzbekistan. “Through the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, ADB actively promotes regional power trade among countries in
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a financial package of $800 million in highly concessional loans to support the Uzbek government’s structural reform program, which aims to improve Uzbekistan’s business environment, boost efficiency in agriculture, railways, and energy sectors, enhance public finance management, expand social protection services, and strengthen the country’s preparedness for
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), successfully organized the second and third editions of the “Drops of the Future” youth workshop series on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. The workshops were held on 6-7 September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and 19-20 September in Tashkent,
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised its growth forecast for Uzbekistan for 2024 and 2025 after economic growth in the first half of 2024 outpaced expectations due to higher investment and strong expansion in industry. This was presented on 3 October by ADB Regional Lead Economist for the Central and West Asia Department Kiyoshi
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, says it has signed an agreement with Ipak Yuli Bank to provide a syndicated loan of up to $42 million, aimed at increasing access to financing for smaller businesses and women entrepreneurs across Uzbekistan. With 25 percent of the funding earmarked for women-run businesses, this initiative is
On October 3, 15 years ago, the Agreement on the Establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was signed in the city of Nakhchivan, which later evolved into the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The Organization of Turkic States currently comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, with Hungary and the Turkish Republic
A teacher in Tashkent was fined 6.8 million soms ($534) for hitting a sixth-grade student who asked why she did not speak Russian during a Russian-language class, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. A video of the incident оn September 23 went viral, leading to the dismissal of the school principal. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on
An Uzbek-Indian business forum was held in Tashkent on September 27 under the co-chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojayev and Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India Nirmala Sitharaman. The forum was also attended by Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Shokhrukh Gulamov, as well as about 100
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) says it further solidified its long-standing partnership with Uzbekistan through a series of agreements signed at the Bank’s 9th Annual Meeting in Samarkand on September 25-26. The agreements follow the signing of a three-year rolling pipeline for sovereign-backed financed projects by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and AIIB President Jin Liqun in Beijing. This
Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the Management Board at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Samarkand on September 26 during the session titled New Uzbekistan – Big Country with Big Opportunities. The session was attended by Laziz Kudratov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade,
A recent incident at a school in Uzbekistan between a teacher and a sixth-grader who asked her why she didn’t speak Russian in a Russian class has led to heated statements between Russian and Uzbek officials, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The incident took place at a school in the capital, Tashkent, on September 23. A female teacher in
An exhibition, The Silk Roads, opened on September 26 at the British Museum in London, showcasing rare artifacts from Uzbekistan’s museum collections, among other exhibits. Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition and said: “It is a great honor for me to participate in the opening of
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last week added $6.1 million in new funding to its ongoing Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAG) with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, raising the total amount invested in the DOAG to over $47 million. This new funding demonstrates USAID’s long-term commitment to supporting the Ministry’s comprehensive
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has announced the program for its Ninth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors, to take place on September 25-26 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The AIIB is a multilateral development bank whose mission is financing infrastructure in Asia and beyond. The Bank began operations in Beijing in 2016 and has
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 19 September approved a $300 million sector development program to support the Government of Uzbekistan’s efforts to expand access to finance for unbanked and underbanked microenterprises, fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in the country. “An inclusive and sustainable microfinance sector is essential to support micro and small businesses which
On September 18, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held the first meeting of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan. The meeting with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the Fund considered the issues of joint use of transboundary water resources, as
U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick and First Deputy Minister of Geology of Uzbekistan, Omonullo Nasritdinkhodjaev on September 16 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan on critical minerals. The signing ceremony took place on the eve of the Government of Uzbekistan’s participation in MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, the mining
The 2nd summit of Central Asian countries and Germany was held on September 17 in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Chaired by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the meeting was attended by Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat
In the first five months of the current solar year (which begins on March 21), Afghanistan has conducted trade worth nearly $700 million with Central Asian countries, TOLOnews reported with reference to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that trade between Afghanistan and Central Asian
