TBILISI, Georgia, May 5. ADB should continue helping countries take ambitious action to combat climate change, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev said during the annual meeting of the ADB in Tbilisi, Trend reports.
"We encourage ADB to step up efforts to support investments in human capital, paying special attention to the needs of the communities. It may also require support in addressing employment, through small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of many developing economies.
Green, ambitious climate change resilience. We believe ADB should continue its efforts to help countries take ambitious action to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability, while investing in advanced, and climate-resilient approaches to achieve goals of the Paris Agreement. Continued efforts to develop green and livable cities will contribute to greener and more inclusive development.
We exhort ADB to build resilience, including economic and financial resilience, to enable partner countries to withstand and recover from past, current and future shocks. Continued efforts to help countries manage debt sustainably and develop local currency and capital markets will be essential. Strengthening governance and institutions, as well as expanding effective and targeted social safety nets to better protect the most vulnerable, are important contributions.
Promote sustainable infrastructure and digitalization. We welcome ADB’s continued support of quality infrastructure. Supporting more equitable access to basic digital infrastructure will be an important element of these efforts. They will accelerate efforts to harness the power of digital technologies to spur innovation that can drive progress toward the SDGs, including access to health, education, finance, and mobility.
Collaboration among MDBs. MDBs shall continue to develop common approaches and standards in areas of collective focus such as quality infrastructure and impact investment standards. This will promote common approaches to harmonizing SDG management results for tracking and transparent reporting of results.
Uzbekistan is committed to working closely with ADB and its members to build a better future for our people," he said.
The theme for the 57th Annual Meeting to be held from May 2 through May 5 is “Bridge to the Future.”
The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for ADB governors to consider development issues and challenges facing Asia and the Pacific. Several thousand participants, including finance ministers, central bank governors, senior government officials, members of the private sector, representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations, youth, academia, and the media, regularly join the meeting.