UN provides assistance to Uzbekistan for US$340m

Mr. Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, said that the UN Country Office in Uzbekistan has been opened in Uzbekistan in 1993 and helps Uzbekistan to solve wide-range of issues. “Today we mark the 20th anniversary of the UN activities in the republic,” he said.

He recalled that Uzbekistan marked the 21st anniversary of its membership in the UN in early 2013. He said Uzbekistan fruitfully cooperated with the UN General Assembly and its specialized agencies.

Stefan Priesner said that the UN rendered assistance to development of Uzbekistan for US$340 in 20 years. The funds were used to solve wide range of tasks through implementation measures in local and national level, providing consulting services on policy and development potential, exchanging knowledge, etc.

He said that the UN renders assistance to Uzbekistan within the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (so called UNDAF), which unites all works of the UN agencies and is a complex programme, which covers wide-range of issues – starting from economic reforms to improving administration and human rights promotion.

Stefan Priesner said that the UN helps to reform healthcare and education, as well as preserve cultural-historic heritage of Uzbekistan. He said that the UN assists to fight illegal drug trafficking, protection of environment and combating HIV/AIDS.

He underlined that the Government of Uzbekistan achieved success in implementation of the MDGs. Uzbekistan achieved two goals of the MDGs – Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women and Goal 5 Improve maternal health. The country also achieved success in reducing child mortality and achieving universal primary education, he said.

He said that to achieve further progress in achieving MDGs, it is required to ensure uninterrupted implementation of corresponding measures, carry out effective national policy and implement programmes directed at eliminating inequality among the regions of Uzbekistan to achieve MDGs. He said that monitoring and reporting on further actions till 2015 will be one of main priorities.

The UN in Uzbekistan started new and interesting joint work with Uzbekistan on analyzing the MDGs achievement and began to establish dialogue on long-term strategy of the development of the country, taking into account those directions, which were not included to development programme after 2015, he said.

He said that this important work will serve for further strengthening of cooperation between the UN and the Government of Uzbekistan to well-being of population. He said that the UN will start to develop new framework programme for Uzbekistan in 2014.

The UN official said that the programme and national partners of the UN can change one to another direction, but the people of Uzbekistan will remain in the center of its work. The UN hopes for close and long-term cooperation with the Government and people of Uzbekistan.