BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
Since 1993, UNIDO has completed around 15 stand-alone projects in Uzbekistan and provided technical assistance and policy advice for national investment promotion, sustainable employment and entrepreneurship development, export-oriented trade, cleaner production, business incubators and enterprise development, Jacek Cukrowski, Chief of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) told Trend.
Cukrowski added that UNIDO has been actively expanding its activities in Central Asia through various country and regional projects, as well as global forum events.
"One of the examples is a recently completed project on regional quality policy (RQP) formulation in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries. It resulted in the preparation of a needs assessment of the national quality infrastructure and a document on RQP in the ECO countries. The project also supported capacity building of experts to implement those policies," he said.
"Another one of UNIDO’s big activities - project “Fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development in the New Silk Road Economic Belt (NSREB): Leveraging potentials of industrial parks, zones and cities in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan” was implemented in 2016-2018 in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The objective of the project was to enhance inclusive and sustainable industrial development in the New Silk Road Economic Belt. The project facilitated the establishment of the NSREB industrial park knowledge sharing platform and the creation of a strategic and operational framework and action plan for business infrastructure development," said Cukrowski.
He also stressed that Uzbekistan is one of the world’s leading cotton exporters and ranks third after China and India in global silk production.
"While the government places great emphasis on attracting foreign investment, modernization and increasing exports of the silk and textile industries, UNIDO is ready to support this effort," Cukrowski said.
He said that currently, there are five pipeline project proposals with a total tentative/planned budget of $13,3 million under the joint consideration by UNIDO and Uzbekistan."
Among the projects are:
Silk processing industry upgrading in Uzbekistan with tentative budget $2 million;
Innovative Industrial Park for Human Resources Development in Natural Fibres Industry of Uzbekistan (Textile Industry Skills upgrading in Fergana region of Uzbekistan) with tentative budget $6,5 million;
Sustainable upgrading, industrial design and branding for textile and garment industry in Uzbekistan with tentative budget $2,1 million;
Establishment of a Subcontracting and Partnership Exchange Program (SPX) in Uzbekistan with tentative budget $700,000;
Industrial Policy for Enhanced Productivity and Competitiveness, developed in response to the official request from the Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan, with a budget of $1.99 million.
"To realize these projects, it is important that the Government of Uzbekistan remains committed to drive a funds mobilization effort in cooperation with UNIDO," Cukrowski said.
He pointed out that UNIDO will support Uzbekistan’s efforts to join the WTO, as well as its efforts to push industrial development.
"UNIDO’s activities to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development will help Uzbekistan in building productive and export capabilities which are essential to reap full benefits of future WTO membership. This will stimulate economic growth and job creation, as well as the transition towards resource efficient and clean industrial production", said Cukrowski.
UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Member States.
UNIDO provides a variety of technical cooperation services to promote increased access to energy for productive uses while at the same time supporting patterns of energy use by industry that mitigate climate change and are otherwise environmentally sustainable.
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