World Bank developing 9 new projects worth $1.5 billion for Uzbekistan 

 On July 23, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov and Vice President of the World Bank for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde held a videoconference.

According to the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, the sides discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation, the results of the joint project portfolio in the first half of the year, the process of negotiating projects, as well as prospects for future cooperation with the World Bank.

The Minister thanked the bank’s management for the prompt consideration of projects that have a special priority in the current epidemiological situation and are aimed at improving the socio-economic situation in the country – since the beginning of this year the World Bank approved 4 such projects worth more than $1 billion.

At the end of the first half of the year, the volume of disbursed World Bank loans amounted to $310.0 million, and the disbursement ratio was the highest in the region.

Reportedly, the Vice President of the Bank is currently developing 9 new projects worth $1.5 billion in the field of telecommunications technology, energy, commercialization of science, urban planning, forestry, as well as the collection and processing of statistics and improving tax administration.  

During the talks, the special role of the WB in the implementation of large-scale reforms in Uzbekistan was emphasized. The Bank’s specialists closely assisted in the development of the Roadmap for structural reforms in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the aviation and energy sector reform program, agricultural development strategy, the concept of higher education, the new version of the Tax Code, the banking system reform strategy.

In this regard, further plans were discussed within the framework of joint work on reforming state-owned enterprises, the banking sector and the aviation industry, as well as other sectors of the Uzbek economy.

It was noted that the World Bank is ready to provide further assistance to Uzbekistan in the development of the regions, and agreed to develop universal programs for each region of the country, based on the available resources and comparative advantages in the regions.

They will also work together to introduce effective public investment management mechanisms that will ensure high economic returns.

Uzbekistan recruits foreign specialists for treatment of coronavirus patients

Uzbekistan has invited specialists from Germany and Turkey to treat patients with coronavirus. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has recently reported this.

“We recruit not only Uzbek specialists, but also leading professors and experts from abroad who offer their consultations via videoconference. Currently, a German professor is in our country and is directly involved in the treatment of patients. A group of professors from Turkey will also arrive soon. We are working on attracting the most experienced professors from other countries as well,” the President said.

As Shavkat Mirziyoyev pointed out, the most important task is to break the transmission chain of the virus. For this purpose, it is crucial to comply with the quarantine requirements, to strengthen immunity, preserve the health of the people and fight for the life of every person.

As of the morning of July 24, there were 18,986 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Uzbekistan; 10,149 people recovered from the disease and 103 died. Thus, the number of active cases is 8,734.