BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. At its Annual Meeting in May 2025, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Board of Governors approved the Bank’s new Strategic and Capital Framework (SCF) for the next five years, setting clear priorities for its activities in Central Asia and beyond.
Huseyin Ozhan, EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia and Mongolia, told Trend that the SCF focuses on three core themes: accelerating the green transition, advancing economic governance, and promoting human capital and equality of opportunity for all.
"These are the key guiding principles for the EBRD’s operations in Central Asia," Ozhan said. "We also have individual country strategies for each regional state, prepared and implemented in close collaboration with national authorities. While each country’s objectives may vary, these strategies share common goals - fostering private sector competitiveness, employment, skills development, inclusion, and the digital transition".
Ozhan stressed the bank’s commitment to supporting Central Asia’s green pathway to carbon neutrality and climate resilience, emphasizing improvements in water efficiency and cleaner energy. Strengthening economic governance and improving the business climate remain priorities, as do boosting regional connectivity and creating sustainable infrastructure.
The EBRD official highlighted growing cooperation among Central Asian countries. "In August 2024, the countries signed the Central Asia 2040 strategy - a new concept for regional cooperation that aligns development, trade, and investment priorities," he said. "We welcome the border demarcation accord between Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, which ends decades of geopolitical tensions. Such political stability and predictable investment climates will attract much-needed investments into the region, including from the EBRD".
Ozhan pointed to the Kambar-Ata hydroelectric power plant project as a key example of successful regional cooperation. Developed as a trilateral joint venture between Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, it is backed by financing from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), EBRD, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and other international financiers.
"When completed, Kambar-Ata will be one of the largest hydroelectric projects in Central Asia," Ozhan noted. "Beyond energy benefits, the dam will improve seasonal water management and irrigation capacity, reinforcing cooperation across the region".