TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, January 21. Uzbekistan
and the World Bank have agreed to accelerate public procurement
reforms and develop new joint projects, Trend reports via the Ministry of Economy and
Finance of Uzbekistan.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Deputy
Minister of Economy and Finance Gulnora Rakhimova and a delegation
led by Felipe Goya, the World Bank’s Practice Manager for Public
Procurement for Europe and Central Asia.
During the meeting, the two sides engaged in a comprehensive
discussion on pivotal areas of cooperation within the public
procurement sector. Specifically, the talks centered on the
continued development of Uzbekistan’s electronic public procurement
system, the integration of artificial intelligence technologies,
the expansion of "green" procurement practices, the enhancement of
contract management mechanisms, and the establishment of an
effective monitoring framework for procurement activities conducted
by state procuring entities.
Both parties underscored the significance of initiatives aimed
at strengthening public oversight by fostering competition and
ensuring greater openness and transparency within the country’s
public procurement system.
In this regard, Felipe Goya reiterated the World Bank’s
commitment to supporting the implementation of the priority actions
outlined in Presidential Decree No. PF–259, issued on December 26,
2025, which seeks to promote a competitive environment and bolster
transparency within Uzbekistan’s public procurement framework.
The World Bank initiated its engagement with Uzbekistan in 1992,
shortly after the country gained independence. Since then, the
World Bank’s collaboration with Uzbekistan has deepened
substantially, particularly after 2017, with a focus on supporting
the country’s ambitious reform agenda through a range of financial
and analytical projects spanning sectors such as agriculture,
education, infrastructure, and digitalization.
Uzbekistan’s portfolio of joint projects with the World Bank now
exceeds $14 billion.
