On May 6, the head of the Central Asian office of the French Development Agency (FDA) Vincent Copin, the Ambassador of the European Union in Uzbekistan Charlotte Adrian, and the Acting Resident Representative of the UNDP in Uzbekistan Anas Karman signed an agreement to finance a new project in support of green development in Uzbekistan. The announcement was made by the UNDP press service.
The project aims to assist the government of Uzbekistan in adopting a comprehensive approach to financing green development in the country. This will be achieved through the effective use of public finances, integrating green priorities into the budget process (green budgeting), and implementing innovative financial instruments to attract investments in green projects.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan is expected to act as the national partner in implementing this project.
Under the signed agreement, grant funds amounting to 600,000 euros provided by the EU will be directed to the FDA and UNDP to provide technical assistance to the government of Uzbekistan as part of the "Support for Green Development Financing in Uzbekistan" project during the period of 2024-2026.
"By integrating green priorities into financing and utilizing innovative instruments, we are paving the way for the formation of a budget process that contributes to sustainable development," noted Anas Fayyad Karman.
The new project will build on the results and achievements of the previous joint initiative by the FDA and UNDP in implementing budgeting methodologies based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), successfully implemented in 2022-2023. During that time, the Ministry of Economy and Finance received support in developing methodologies based on advanced international experience, conducting research, and strengthening the capacity of national partners in the field of SDGs and green budgeting.
The key outcomes of the project include the first-ever climate budget tagging conducted in Uzbekistan and the presentation of its results in the "Budget for Citizens" publications. Additionally, the first State Climate Expenditure Review and institutional assessment were prepared in Uzbekistan to analyze and determine the extent to which climate change issues are integrated into the country's policy and reflected in the state budget.
"These results have provided a solid foundation for strengthening the dialogue and communication between the government, parliament, and civil society on the importance of climate change and green development issues for Uzbekistan," the statement said.
