About us

About our work in Uzbekistan

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is committed to helping Uzbekistan build a modern, prosperous, democratic society, based on responsive government systems, people prepared for future challenges and opportunities, and an inclusive green economy.

UNDP first became active in Uzbekistan in 1993, and has over subsequent decades implemented hundreds of projects alongside the national government, business, civil society and academic. We are proud to be both Uzbekistan’s primary development partner and a leading member of the UN Family.

Through the continued trust of the Government of Uzbekistan, close collaboration with our fellow UN agencies and the support of national and international donors, UNDP has helped build Uzbekistan’s market economy, modernize its government, and improve the lives of its most vulnerable citizens. In addition, UNDP has helped Uzbekistan tackle some of the most prominent ecological and environmental challenges it has faced over past years.

The directions of UNDP’s work in Uzbekistan reflect the current UN Country Programme Document (CPD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2025. They also align with the national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the 2030 Agenda, and Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy for 2017-2021. Throughout 2020 UNDP helped address the national health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is continuing to actively assist in Uzbekistan’s inclusive, green recovery.

UNDP has been active in more than 170 countries and territories around the world, helping eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities and increase inclusion. In Uzbekistan, UNDP has its main office in the capital of Tashkent city, and secondary offices in the cities of Nukus and Namangan. Three current directions of work include ‘Inclusive and Democratic Governance’, ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’, and ‘Climate and Disaster Resilience’.

Recent achievements

Turning the Aral Sea region into an area of technological and ecological innovation, applying new solutions to the area’s challenges which, if successful, may be used throughout Uzbekistan and beyond to inform climate change adaptation strategies.

Supporting legislation protecting women’s rights and other measures designed to ensure women play more active and influential roles in government, business, and their communities.

Helping farmers and farming communities throughout Uzbekistan to implement practical, low-tech solutions that will help safeguard food security while adapting to the impacts of climate change? 

Improving livelihoods for those with disabilities and other marginalized population groups, particularly by creating fulfilling employment opportunities, financial independence and greater societal inclusion.

Encouraging digital entrepreneurship among small and medium-sized businesses, particularly for young people below 30 who make up 60 percent of the population, and for women and girls.

Protecting Uzbekistan’s globally significant biodiversity, particularly its unique flora, fauna, and ecosystems, while establishing building codes that ensure new buildings use renewable energy sources and are energy efficient.

Introducing anti-corruption mechanisms in the private and public sectors, ensuring the accessibility and responsiveness of local government, and strengthening Rule of Law and building trust in the courts through supporting judicial sector reform.

Effective Democratic Governance

The Inclusive and Democratic Governance unit of UNDP Uzbekistan serves as a trusted partner of the government in developing accountable, transparent and inclusive policies, gender responsive institutions, and expanded civic participation. The intended outcome of all this work is a governance structure that serves the needs of all people, leaving no one behind.

The Inclusive and Democratic Governance unit also is helping national partners build social capital and open civic spaces, and to sset up a new social contracts based on rule of law, governance and human rights. One key success in this regard has been the reforming of Uzbekistan’s courts to make them more transparent, open and responsive to citizen needs.

The Inclusive and Democratic Governance unit has also worked to streamline the delivery of public services. Significant resources have been used to replace traditional, paper-based processes with digital ones, making data retrieval and service delivery faster and more efficient, particularly in rural areas of Uzbekistan and on a mahalla (neighbourhood) level. More services have been made available to all citizens, particularly people living in remote parts of the country, victims of domestic violence, people living with disabilities, and those who are HIV-positive.

In partnership with the Central Electoral Commission, the Parliament of Uzbekistan and fellow development agencies, UNDP is working to strengthen electoral and parliamentary development, and to lift key pillars of democracy, participation, voice and expression to international standards. The Inclusive and Democratic Governance unit is working with national partners to establish effective mechanisms for combatting corruption across public and private sectors.

Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

UNDP Uzbekistan’s Inclusive and Sustainable Growth unit is promoting new ways of understanding and addressing poverty and inequalities, while also building policy coherence and financing mechanisms for development aligned with national SDGs.

The unit’s work to support government efforts to reduce poverty spans across connected areas of development, including job creation, enhancing human capital capabilities and developing social resilience. The success of on-going national reforms to benefit the most vulnerable amongst Uzbekistan’s population is being assessed, primary through participatory research conducted on a neighbourhood (mahalla) level.  The conclusions and outcomes of this research will inform the development of future social programmes, such as a proposed Integrated National Financing Framework that will draw on new innovative funding sources like Islamic finance (green sukuk), social bonds, crowdfunding and risk financing.

As Uzbekistan builds forward better from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inclusive and Sustainable Growth unit is helping to establish national policies for a resilient and green economy. The end goal of this initiative is to create decent jobs, and to improve the livelihoods for all citizens of Uzbekistan. A particular focus has been placed on supporting new digital start-ups, particularly those that are women-led and based in rural areas and regions with high poverty rates and climate change vulnerabilities.

Environment & Climate Action

UNDP’s Climate and Disaster Resilience unit is helping Uzbekistan pursue its agenda on adapting to climate change, protecting Uzbekistan’s natural spaces, and better preparing for potential natural and human-made catastrophes. It works to ensure that all development in Uzbekistan is sustainable, and does not come with adverse environmental impacts.

UNDP is helping Uzbekistan develop specific, gender-sensitive climate change adaptation plans for the national health, agriculture, water, emergency and housing sectors. The Climate and Disaster Resilience unit is supporting the achievement of Uzbekistan’s Strategy on Transition to Green Economy for 2030.  UNDP is providing technical and financial assistance to help reduce the country’s carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency and renewable energy use and support to the agricultural that increases crop yields and avoids land degradation.

In line with the 2019-2028 National Strategy on Biodiversity Conservation, the Climate and Disaster Resilience unit is furthermore advocating for the sustainable management of mountain, wetland and desert ecosystems. It supporting national efforts to improve inefficient agricultural practices and to achieve an inclusive transition to a ‘green economy’ in the agri-food sector through a ‘climate-smart’ Uzbek Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System.

UNDP is supporting the national implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, through supporting the creation of early-warning systems for climate-induced hazards. It is also helping formulate a National Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Action Plan to identify priority actions for hazardous waste management.

Finally, the Climate and Disaster Resilience unit is introducing UNDP’s Systems Integration approach to address the environmental and social challenges faced in the Aral Sea region using a systems design, data and analytics, alternative financing, innovation and integrated policies approach.