It is often said that true friends are revealed in difficult times.  If that is the case, then for many developing countries Japan has proven its friendship consistently through good times and bad.  In fact, Japan is one of the world’s most generous development partners: In 2020, the country provided $16.3 billion in official development assistance, a 9.5 percent increase from 2019 ($15.5 billion).

The rule of law, good governance, democracy, freedom and respect for human rights are critical elements of Japan’s foreign policy and underpin its commitment to addressing global challenges and promoting global public goods. The Land of the Rising Sun also is committed to shining light on all of the Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on the themes of people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnership.

Japan is UNDP’s third largest contributor to core resources, enabling and empowering the organization to operate internationally, responding to crises when and where they occur.  In 2020, it contributed $71.2 million to UNDP’s core budget for this purpose, in addition to another $235 million in non-core contributions for more than 200 specific projects, like those in Uzbekistan.

From the earliest days of its independence, Japan has been there as a friend and as a partner to Uzbekistan, providing assistance and support every step along the way. Its support has come both bilaterally between the two governments and multilaterally through organizations like UNDP.  One of its prioritized areas of support is in building up Uzbekistan’s market economy, supporting the development of its economic infrastructure through, for example, supporting the development of employment skills. When the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Uzbekistan, the Government of Japan doubled its contributions, thereby preventing the situation from getting much worse.

With the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 we at UNDP and our national partners faced many challenges that needed immediate attention. We needed to support efforts to keep people healthy, while preparing countermeasures for the negative social and economic impacts from the nationwide lockdown.

Early in the pandemic, Japan provided a total of US$5.1 million through several specific initiatives to bring immediate relief to the people of Uzbekistan.  Nearly $1.9 million of this total went to the UNDP COVID-19 Rapid Response project in Uzbekistan, which allowed for the procurement and delivery of ICU medical equipment in addition to 1,700 Personal Protective Equipment/Materials, 570 Pulse Oximeters, and six artificial lung ventilators. These initial funds also were used to produce and distribute 115,000 Posters & Brochures in Russian, Uzbek and Karakalpak languages with information on how to reduce risk of exposure to the coronavirus.  The resources were also critical in supporting the recovery of 83,649 Uzbek citizens who had contracted COVID-19 in 2020 and the first months of 2021.

The remaining funds, totalling $3.2 million went to to the joint UNDP/UNFPA programme ‘Building the resilience of local communities against health, environmental and economic insecurities caused by environment destruction in the Aral Sea region.’  This funding allowed for the delivery of artificial lung ventilation (AVL) devices to the region, along with PPE and information booklets, and helped save the lives of Uzbekistan’s most at-risk citizens.

The joint programme directly supported ongoing efforts to digitalize local government offices throughout Uzbeksitan and to train 9,600 local authorities to more effectively utilize the new digital tools at their disposal.  The wide range of technical support to the Ministry for support of Mahalla and Family included the provision of an electronic document management system in 100 mahallas to streamline information exchange between the Ministry and citizens' self-government bodies; the development of a unified database to collect and analyze information, and the creation of several advanced online communication channels. This area of support has been critical in support both pandemic recovery and ensuring long-term momentum towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Uzbekistan.  Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has recognized this, and has called on managers at all levels to incorporate digitalization into their daily tasks.

Another interesting initiative within this same field is Japan’s support for a UNDP project called Technovation Girls, a technology competition for girls that has so far produced  41 mobile applications offering innovative ways of achieving the SDGs in Uzbekistan. The entries addressed a range of prominent challenges including climate change, domestic violence, bullying, the unique problems faced by children of migrants, the creation of digital access to doctors, food waste disposal, and connecting volunteers with NGOs.

Thanks to support we received from the Government of Japan, we at UNDP have also been able to support thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses with training and resources.  This support includes advisory services, coaching and seed funding to 80 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and 40 social innovation projects. We also were able to provide specialized equipment to Seven agricultural collectives in rural areas greatly impacted by COVID19.

Japan has also contributed to the development of UNDP-supported online courses and video training during the pandemic. These have proven essential in preparing professionals for Uzbekistan’s growing technology sector, and for service industries coming back into demand.  Such training is a particular focus of the UNDP-UNFPA Joint Programme in the Karakalpakstan region.

Post-pandemic: building forward better and greener in Uzbekistan, with Japan’s support

While the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a need for greater resilience across all sectors in Uzbekistan, it has also illuminated new directions for positive change as Uzbekistan forms a more inclusive and greener economy. Japan’s support and advice will be critical in helping the country emerge from this crisis and to build forward better, and greener, over the coming years.

Resolving COVID-19’s health impacts, alongside its socio-economic consequences, has required greater collaboration between government partners and both national and international stakeholders. These efforts will continue into 2021 and beyond as Uzbekistan implements its sustainable economic recovery. The contributions and support of partners like the Government of Japan will be crucial in helping Uzbekistan to get back on its feet and to stride confidently into a future both formed and informed by the Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind.

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For more information on UNDP’s COVID-19 response in Uzbekistan, and the use of critical funds provided by international donors, contact UNDP Uzbekistan Communications Analyst Feruza Nomozova at feruza.nomozova@undp.org.