Photo: Press service of the President of Uzbekistan
The World Bank’s project portfolio in Uzbekistan has surpassed $12 billion, making the country one of the international financial institution’s largest partners. The figure was highlighted during a meeting on April 10 in Tashkent between Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations.
The talks focused on the continued development of strategic cooperation between Uzbekistan and the World Bank, particularly in support of the country’s ongoing economic reforms.
It was emphasized that the World Bank provides financial, advisory, and technical assistance to help the government implement reforms aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of key economic sectors and social programs.
With the Bank’s support, a new framework has also been introduced to improve the mechanisms for preparing and streamlining projects involving international financial institutions, with the goal of accelerating timelines and raising quality standards.
During their discussion, Mirziyoyev and Bjerde identified priority areas for future collaboration, including:
✅ poverty reduction, particularly through job creation for women and youth;
✅ support for private enterprise and public-private partnership programs;
✅ transformation and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
The two sides also addressed joint initiatives in decarbonization, urban development, infrastructure modernization, energy efficiency, investment climate improvements, and support for Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization.
