The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will be hosting its 32nd Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on May 16-18 under the banner of “Investing in Resilience”.
The event will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia and represents a return to the region for the first time since 2011 for this highlight of the Bank’s calendar.
The three-day meeting, which opens on 16 May, will bring together government officials, financial and corporate executives, entrepreneurs, civil society and media from all over the world.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is expected to address the Annual Meeting and the Bank’s Governors will discuss ways of boosting its support for Ukraine, where its wartime focus is on maintaining energy and food security, restoring infrastructure, providing trade finance and working with the private sector. They will also debate a possible limited and incremental expansion of the EBRD’s operations to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.
The Business Forum will offer discussion panels featuring such guest speakers as Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, political scientist Fiona Hill, historians Harold James and Peter Frankopan and the economist Sergei Guriev.
A wide range of topics will be discussed, including energy security and renewables; the short and long-term challenges caused by the war on Ukraine; digitalization in emerging markets; and financial inclusion. Those unable to travel to Samarkand next week to take part in proceedings will be able to follow many of the events live online.
At the Annual Meeting, the Bank will also release its Regional Economic Prospects report presenting the latest macroeconomic forecast for its regions.
One of the highlights of the Business Forum will be Uzbekistan’s Investment Outlook Session on 17 May. In 2022 alone the EBRD invested €839 million in 26 projects in the country, making it the leading recipient of Bank funding in Central Asia for the third year running. Among the investments was the EBRD’s largest renewable energy project in any of its regions so far.
