BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 17
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
The World Bank’s plans to share with Uzbekistan the experience of other global cities in becoming more resilient to natural disasters and climate change impacts, Mirzobek Ibrahimov, World Bank’s External Affairs Officer in Uzbekistan, told Trend in an interview.
"Tashkent City Administration has requested technical assistance from the World Bank to better understand the potential impact of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, and climate change," he said.
"Earthquakes, for example, can result in significant damages since Tashkent is situated in an active tectonic area," Ibrahimov said, reminding that the last major earthquake in April of 1966 with a magnitude of 8.4 destroyed the city resulting in loss of housing for some 300,000 people.
"Tashkent is the most populated urban center in Central Asia and Uzbekistan. It is home to around 10 percent of the country’s population and generates more than 16 percent of Uzbekistan’s GDP. Businesses are flourishing and jobs are created here," he said.
World Bank plans to provide loans for a total of more than $1 billion for implementation of projects in Uzbekistan in 2020, according to provided information.
The World Bank approved financing projects in Uzbekistan for a total of $956.6 million in 2019.
Last year, the World Bank financed projects in Uzbekistan related to the development of entrepreneurship in the Ferghana Valley ($200 million); institutional capacity building ($33 million); improving the early development of children ($73.8 million); providing budget support ($500 million); strengthening social safety nets ($50 million); and the implementation of the project "Prosperous village" ($100 million).
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