On September 17, in the city of Namangan, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva, the global director for the World Bank's poverty and equity global practice.

At the start of the talks, the distinguished guest conveyed the greetings and best wishes of World Bank Group President Ajay Banga to the head of state and congratulated Uzbekistan on the successful organization of the “From Poverty to Prosperity” international forum.

The discussions focused on expanding strategic cooperation with the World Bank, particularly in poverty reduction, which is the first Sustainable Development Goal.

The highest level of practical cooperation reached with this global financial institute was noted with great satisfaction.

The national program is being successfully implemented, and Uzbekistan is now one of the Bank’s leading partners in the macro-region. The project portfolio has exceeded USD 14 billion.

With the World Bank’s support, a methodology for determining poverty levels has been developed. At present, poverty and inequality indicators in Uzbekistan are being jointly assessed.

As part of the “From Poverty to Prosperity” program, a proposal was made to prepare a joint project that will include practical measures to create jobs for women and youth, modernize social infrastructure in cities and villages, and promote tourism.

Particular attention was also given to advancing private sector projects, designing medium-term development programs, conducting a population census, and other priority areas.