A meeting was held to discuss issues in the field of sustainable development with UN representatives

At the Ministry of Economy and Finance a session with Consuelo Vidal Bruce, the UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, was held with the objective of engaging in discourse regarding attained achievements and future initiatives pertaining to national sustainable development objectives and targets.

       The meeting was attended by UN representative in Uzbekistan Matluba Umurzakova, as well as First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Ilkhom Norkulov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Otabek Fozilkarimov, the Head of the Department for Coordination of Transition to Green Economy and Development Shoxzod Islamov and representatives of other relevant departments.

      At the onset of the discussion, Ilham Norkulov, the First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, expressed sincere gratitude to Consuelo Bruce for for the UN cooperation and substantial involvement in crafting the second voluntary national report concerning Uzbekistan's Sustainable Development Goals implementation. This report was presented during the UN Economic and Social Council's high-level political forum on July 17 last year in New York, USA.

For context, the second voluntary national report serves as a document encompassing statistical analyses of the outcomes achieved in SDG implementation within the country, addressing current challenges and outlining future initiatives. It was developed in partnership with representatives from ministries, agencies, civil society, parliament, and the private sector. The initial presentation of the second voluntary national report occurred on July 15, 2020.

The meeting, beginning on a positive note, furnished participants with comprehensive details regarding the execution of various measures aimed at realizing Uzbekistan's national Sustainable Development Goals and targets until 2030.

       He provided insights into various accomplishments, including the reduction of the country's unemployment rate to 14 percent by the conclusion of 2022, the augmentation of the annual growth rate of real GDP per capita from 2.7 percent in 2017 to 3.6 percent presently, and advancements in gender equality initiatives such as the increase in women's representation in Parliament to 32 percent by the end of 2022 and in senior government positions to 28.2 percent. Notable progress was also highlighted in the expansion of preschool education coverage, which escalated from 25.4 percent in 2017 to 73 percent by the conclusion of the first nine months of 2023.

       During the session, discussions ensued regarding ongoing efforts encompassed within projects such as green growth, green taxonomy, greenhouse gas emissions, MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification), and iCRAFT.

       Concluding remarks underscored a mutual agreement to collaborate towards further enhancing Uzbekistan's ranking in the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Index.

       Information Service

       Ministry of Economy and Finance