On May 16-18, the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will be held in Samarkand, under the general main theme “Investing in Resilience”. The application for the event was submitted by Uzbekistan in 2019 and approved in 2022.
More than 2,000 guests from 73 countries are scheduled to attend the event, including representatives of foreign governments, heads of transnational corporations, heads of international financial institutions and banks, experts in the field of economics, investment, finance and technology, as well as world media.
The central theme of the event will be investing in the sustainability of the economy. During the meeting, it is planned to hold panel discussions on the development of measures to overcome the challenges faced by the member countries of the Bank.
The event will also provide the EBRD with an opportunity to review its achievements over the past year and plan for the future.
One of the main events of the meeting will be the session “On the investment prospects of Uzbekistan.” It will discuss the expected growth rates of the country’s economy and opportunities for attracting investment.
The agenda of the three days of the event also includes a number of discussion panel sessions with experts on various topics. Sessions will focus on both regions and individual countries.
Among them:
• international trade;
• energy security, renewable energy sources;
• the importance of small and medium business for the economy;
• digitalization in emerging markets;
• EBRD Green Cities Program;
• Regional Economic Outlook, the EBRD’s flagship macroeconomic study, etc.
On the sidelines of the meeting, a business forum with the participation of representatives of international business circles is planned. Within its framework, expert discussions of the macroeconomic situation, the role of the private sector and the state in the development of renewable energy sources, interregional relations, economic integration, food security, digitalization and other issues will be held.
For reference: Uzbekistan became a member of the EBRD on April 30, 1992. The Republic owns 4,200 shares of the Bank for a total of EUR 44.1 million. The representative office of the Bank was opened in Tashkent in May 1993. Office in Andijan – in October 2019, in Urgench – in June 2021. It is planned to open an office in Karshi.
Uzbekistan is the largest recipient of EBRD investments among the CIS countries. Since the beginning of its activities in Uzbekistan, the Bank has approved financing of 100 projects and programs in various sectors of the economy in the amount of more than 3.4 billion euros (7 projects worth 893.0 million euros are being developed).
EBRD projects are focused on the development of small businesses, the financial sector, transport infrastructure and energy. At the same time, the main amount of funds allocated by the Bank falls on direct investments.
Holding an event of this level is expected to have a positive impact on improving the international image of Uzbekistan in the world investment community, as well as provide an opportunity for representatives of the business community to get acquainted with the economic, investment and industrial potential, rich culture of Uzbekistan in detail.
