Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, Islamic Development Bank, OPEC Fund and UNDP joined their efforts to promote Sustainable Rural Development in Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan, the United Nations Development Programme, the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and the OPEC Fund for International Development took the chance to start a new project called "Sustainable Rural Development in the Republic of Uzbekistan."

Speaking at the launch, Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, said the new initiative is in line with and supports the Government’s Development Strategy 2022-2026. "The broader perspective at the core of this project is to address human development deficits in rural areas of Uzbekistan and to propose new solutions to build shared prosperity," she said. "UNDP is pleased to be part of this great initiative and to take responsibility to ensure the resources are used in the best way possible to help people."

Inclusive and sustainable industrialization, innovation, and sound infrastructure are the cornerstones of the country's development process. An important factor in improving people's well-being is their active participation in shaping priority areas to meet the needs and demands in their communities. According to the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics for 2021, 17 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. The Government has set a goal to reduce poverty in the country by half by the end of 2026 as part of its Development Strategy.

The primary goal of the "Sustainable Rural Development" project is to create favourable living conditions for rural residents and ensure their access to basic infrastructure, health and education services. It aims to improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas by improving road and transportation infrastructure, engineering and communication networks, power supply systems, and the use of resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies in the building and rebuilding of social facilities like kindergartens, public education schools, and rural clinics. This will be done by strengthening local government processes based on broad public participation in target regions.

In particular, the project envisages the construction and overhaul of social and infrastructure facilities in 170 makhalla communities in 20 districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Navoi, Khorezm, Bukhara, and Navoi oblasts. Also, 66 community Development plans for communities will be developed by the end of the year.

The total amount for the project allocated by donors is USD 338 million for the period of 2022-2025.

UNDP will support the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction to implement one component of the IsDB project: "Engineering Services and Strengthening Capacity Infrastructure in Management," whose objectives are: 1) Strengthening the capacity of local communities to identify and represent their interests and needs; 2) Training representatives of local architectural and design institutes and regional construction departments; 3) Capacity building of the construction sector and architectural design to implement innovative IT solutions and digital transformation from a gender perspective; and 4) Involving local communities in decision-making processes.

UNDP remains committed to achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals in Uzbekistan. This initiative contributes directly to Goal 9: "Building resilient infrastructure and promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation" by providing comprehensive poverty eradication assistance in parallel with efforts to increase economic growth and address a range of issues in education, health, social protection, and employment, as well as climate change and environmental protection.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Minister of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Jamshid Kuchkarov, Head of the Regional Hub in Almaty of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Ibrahim Ali Shukri, Regional Manager of MENA, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region of OPEC Fund for International Development Olga Mikhailova, and UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Matilda Dimovska all made welcome remarks at the event. Furthermore, IsDB PIU and UNDP made presentations on the project’s realization and further plans for its implementation.

This project is a good opportunity for the rural population to get access to basic social services and improve the living conditions of rural people.