The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank will be held in Tashkent on 1-4 May 2010, which will be the first such event of the Bank in Central Asia.
Participation of about 3000 people is expected, including heads of governments, chairmen of Central Banks, finance ministers, as well as representatives of private sector, academics and civil society. The progress, reached in the framework of long-term strategic program of ADB, adopted in 2008, will be discussed during the meeting, along with many other issues, including reforming of the global financial system, post-crisis development of Asian countries, climate change and etc.
The main directions of the activity of this international financial institution, which unites 67 member-states, including 48 countries of the Asia-Pacific region and 17 industrially developed countries of Europe, as well as United States and Canada, - are financing of development projects, regional cooperation and technical assistance.
The decision to hold ADB’s annual forum in the capital of Uzbekistan is another evidence of world’s recognition of effectiveness of the “Uzbek model” of economic reforms implemented under the leadership of President Islam Karimov. Especially obvious is the progress demonstrated by Uzbekistan during the global financial-economic crisis. While most countries of the world have experienced the negative effects, in terms of decline in production and decrease of living standards of population, our country’s GDP in 2009 grew by 8.1%, industrial and agricultural production – by 9 and 5.7%, as a result of undertaken anti-crisis measures.
In a statement of Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund, who visited the country in October 2009, it was noted that Uzbekistan had shown considerable resistance to the global economic crisis as a result of well thought-out policy that enabled to accumulate significant resources necessary to ensure the growth in this period. The ADB representatives also repeatedly emphasized the positive nature of reforms conducted in Uzbekistan, calling them as a major factor in further strengthening of cooperation with the country.
Uzbekistan became a full member of ADB in 1995. Since that period the loans allocated to our country have exceeded $1,3 billion, including through technical assistance - $60 million.
Interaction is carried out in many directions, including joint strategic projects to develop transport infrastructure, in the fields of energy, agriculture, small business and private entrepreneurship, management of water resources, healthcare, education and other areas.
One of the major current vectors of cooperation between Uzbekistan and ADB is the project on construction of the railroad “Khairaton – Mazari-Sharif” (Afghanistan) with the budget $129 million, the implementation of which has started on January 22, 2010.
The general contractor of the project is the State Joint Stock Railway Company “Uzbekistan Temir Yollari”, and the general designer – the Open Joint Stock Society “Boshtransloiha”.
The total length of this railway is 75 kilometres. It is planned to be equipped with alarms devices, telecommunications and electricity supply in accordance with technical standards and requirements applying in Uzbekistan. In the framework of the project two stations, two sidings and a container park at the station Mazari-Sharif will be constructed, as well as the existing station Khairaton will be modernized. Completion of all works on the project is scheduled before the end of this year.
International experts estimate the construction of this railway line as a huge practical contribution of ADB and Uzbekistan into the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan. In their view, the project will not only have serious impact on the development of economy, but also play an important role in the efforts to establish a Trans-Afghan corridor, which will allow transforming this country into an important transit state in future.
