Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The event was co-chaired by Jamshid Kuchkarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Antonella Bassani, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia. The roundtable was attended by about 100 participants, including representatives of international financial institutions, government agencies, commercial banks, the private sector, venture funds, and think tanks.
 

The session began with an introductory speech by the moderator of the event, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilhomjon Umrzakov. Following this, opening remarks were delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov and the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, Antonella Bassani.
 

During the event, the World Bank Director for Central Asia, Najy Benhassine, delivered a keynote speech.
 

Following this, speeches were made by the following participants:
 

• Madi Kabdragalinov, EBRD Principal Manager;
 

• Ali Khan, IsDB Head Officer in Charge, Regional Hub Almaty;
 

• Akiko Fujii, UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan;
 

• Andrew McCartney, ADB Principal Financial Sector Specialist;
 

• Yassine Ben Said, KfW Development Bank, Senior Portfolio Manager;
 

• Alexei Shevchenko, AIIB Representative in Uzbekistаn;
 

• Nakamura Eri, Senior Representative and First Deputy Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Uzbekistan;
 

• Beate Schorait, Program Manager at the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
 

The round table was dedicated to ensuring the employment of the population entering the country's labor market annually and strengthening the role of small and medium-sized businesses in creating stable and large-scale jobs.
 

During the event, the coordination of programs implemented by international financial institutions and development partners, the effective use of available resources, and the mobilization of additional funding sources were discussed.
 

The main goal of the event was to strengthen coordination between international financial institutions and development partners, align ongoing and planned initiatives with national priorities, identify funding and policy gaps, and mobilize additional resources, including private capital, to increase the productivity, competitiveness, and export potential of small and medium-sized businesses.
 

The discussions focused on the following priority areas:
 

• creating a favorable environment for doing business;
 

• financing opportunities;
 

• mobilization of private resources;
 

• development of business infrastructure.
 

The participants also considered the possibility of developing joint approaches for the effective use of existing programs, ensuring their compatibility, and preventing potential shortcomings in supporting small and medium-sized businesses.
 

This roundtable laid the foundation for large-scale cooperation aimed at bringing together stakeholders, forming initial commitments, and supporting small and medium-sized businesses and increasing employment.

PR and Communications department

Ministry of Economy and Finance