BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26
By Fakhri Vakilov-Trend:
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on the active attraction and effective use of grants, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the head of state.
The meeting discussed shortcomings in this area. In particular, it was noted that 160 projects worth $667 million are being implemented through grants in the country, but there is no mechanism for monitoring their implementation, evaluating the effectiveness of development and monitoring the targeted use of funds.
The meeting participants also discussed the inefficient use of facilities commissioned through grants, equipment accumulated in the framework of projects and the insufficient attraction of grants in the fields of science, innovation and ecology.
The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade is determined as the authorized body for coordination and monitoring of work donors, and a new department is set up at the ministry.
The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Finance were instructed to create a new system for evaluating the effectiveness of projects implemented through grants.
The President entrusted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade with the task of developing relations with international donor organizations.
The Ministries of Health, Higher and Secondary Special Education, Agriculture, and the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection were advised of the need to develop “roadmaps” for attracting grants in 2020 and forwarding them to priority projects.
With regard to healthcare, the possibility of attracting funds from the World Health Organization, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and other donors to be used for the treatment of cancer, childhood and socially significant diseases, as well as to the organization of laboratories, was noted.
In addition, the head of state gave instructions on expanding the attraction of grants to the UN Multi-Partnership Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region and noted the importance of strengthening the work to attract foreign specialists and volunteers in the framework of free aid, establishing a constant dialogue with them and using their experience.
---
Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri