In 2020, UNDP launched an initiative to support small businesses and the self-employed to mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative aims to improve the business management skills of the population, and provide support in the form of the provision of equipment for implementing business projects.

A training for entrepreneurs was organized from 7 December 2020 till 8 January 2021, as part of the implementation of the first stage of this initiative. 34 entrepreneurs from the Andijan, Namangan, Jizzakh, Navoi, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions took part in a three-week online training programme, gained new knowledge, and improved their practical skills on matters such as business processes optimization, marketing, financial management and personal development skills, with the participation of national experts.

“The training programme organized within the framework of this project gave me a lot of knowledge and practical skills. Now I am planning to expand my business using the equipment provided within the framework of this project. Thank you to the organizers and experts of this project,” said Gulnoza Tangirberdieva, entrepreneur from the Jizzakh region and founder of the Women's Development Centre.

It is worth mentioning that this initiative’s participants were selected on a competitive basis, based on such criteria as the number of new jobs they would create for women and youth, the possibilities for expanding the project in the future, the potential for ensuring the social impact of the development of professional skills, employment opportunities, potential to offer broadened sources of income for women and youth, and others. According to the terms of the initiative, each participant will receive equipment and devices worth US$3,000-5,000 to implement business projects in such areas as education, sewing, food delivery, beauty salons, IT services, and video and graphic design services.

This initiative is aimed at regional development and the creation of jobs for youth, women and other vulnerable groups of the population, especially in rural areas.

The project is being implemented within the framework of the joint project of UNDP and the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations ‘Promoting Youth Employment in Uzbekistan’ with financial support from the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan.