Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) have signed a memorandum of understanding and agreed to jointly work on urban development projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The agreement provides for cooperation at all stages of initiatives, from developing and preparing project ideas to their practical implementation. EDB plans to combine its financial and project expertise with UN-Habitat’s expertise in housing and sustainable urban development.
At the initial stage, the two sides will focus on four areas: technical assistance in preparing and strengthening urban projects; developing the capabilities of national and local authorities and municipal organisations; digitalisation of urban infrastructure, including the use of data and artificial intelligence; and analytics, joint research and knowledge exchange.
The memorandum was signed during a meeting between representatives of EDB and UN-Habitat. EDB Chairman of the Management Board Nikolai Podguzov took part in the meeting, while UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach joined online.
EDB is already implementing projects in urban infrastructure. In Dushanbe, the bank, through its Digital Initiatives Fund, is financing the creation of a digital electronic city map platform — a unified system for managing urban infrastructure. The project is being implemented jointly with Smart City, a state-owned enterprise under the Dushanbe mayor’s office.
“We consider urban development an important priority, particularly in Central Asia. The bank already has experience with digital solutions for urban infrastructure. In Dushanbe, we are creating an electronic city map that helps the mayor’s office manage municipal services, property and urban processes. Cooperation with UN-Habitat will allow us to take a more systematic approach to preparing urban development projects and draw on the UN’s global expertise,” Nikolai Podguzov said.
Anacláudia Rossbach noted that the global housing crisis, which affects up to 3.4 billion people, requires cooperation between governments and international institutions.
“I am confident that our cooperation with EDB will help turn shared commitments into concrete action to ensure adequate housing and inclusive, safe and resilient cities and human settlements,” she said.
UN-Habitat will provide expertise in urban planning, affordable housing, urban governance, climate resilience and basic urban services. EDB, in turn, will contribute its financial, institutional and regional expertise.
The two sides plan to jointly develop urban projects and explore potential financing mechanisms and ways to attract investment. UN-Habitat’s regional and country presence is expected to facilitate cooperation with governments, cities, UN country teams and other partners across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
EDB also cooperates with other UN agencies. Together with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the bank implemented a project to exchange experience among energy companies in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In Kazakhstan, EDB and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are implementing a US$5.3 million irrigation development project. In Tajikistan, projects to fortify wheat flour are being implemented with the participation of the UN World Food Programme, while a school milk programme is being implemented in Armenia.
As of the end of June 2026, EDB’s accumulated portfolio included 348 projects with total investments of US$22.1 billion. Most of the portfolio consists of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, industry and mechanical engineering.
Under its 2022–2026 Strategy, EDB is implementing three mega-projects: the Central Asia Water and Energy Complex, the Eurasian Transport Framework and the Eurasian Commodity Distribution Network.
UN-Habitat is a UN agency focused on sustainable urbanisation. Its programmes are implemented in more than 90 countries and are aimed at developing socially and environmentally sustainable cities and human settlements.
