EU will invest €20 million to support rural areas of Uzbekistan and protect its most vulnerable communities

The European Union will invest €20 million in rural development in Uzbekistan. €10 million will be spent on developing job skills in rural areas. €5 million will protect severely climate-affected communities of the Aral Sea region. Another €5 million will contribute to improving the country’s trade and policy environment.

The project “Skills development for employability in rural areas of Uzbekistan” aims at equipping Uzbek women and men with relevant skills for sustainable, diversified and modernised agriculture. This will be achieved by modernising, strengthening and adapting vocational for the agriculture and irrigation sectors.

Together with the UN, the EU will bring integrated and innovative solutions to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change in the Aral Sea region and help the most vulnerable communities in the area. This will increase the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region.

In addition, the EU reconfirms its trade interests in the region. It will support the government with concrete activities to:

• fulfill World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession requirements and to reform related national trade policies;
• increase understanding of WTO accession;
• strengthen national capacities for phytosanitary and trade facilitation compliance; and
• raise stakeholder and private sector awareness, including women’s associations on WTO accession.

Original source: European Commission
Published on 11 November 2019