On 12 June 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed a delegation from Uzbekistan, hosted by the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG) within the framework of the development cooperation project “Sustainable Policy Planning for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Uzbekistan” supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation from Uzbekistan visited Latvia from 10 to 14 June. The delegation includes representatives from the Parliament of Uzbekistan, the Nationwide Movement Yuksalish, the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, the municipalities of Bukhara and Surkhandarya and the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan; the aim of the project implemented by the LALRG is to improve sustainable policy planning in the field of climate change in Uzbekistan by strengthening the capacity of local self-governments, raising public awareness of the socio-economic impact of climate change and promoting public involvement in decision-making.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation met with Alise Balode, Director General of the Economic Relations, Trade and Development Cooperation Directorate, and Ieva Jaunzeme from the Development Cooperation Agency in Latvia. During the meeting, cooperation projects between Latvia and Uzbekistan were discussed, as well as future cooperation opportunities between Latvia and Uzbekistan.
Background information
The Central Asian region, especially Uzbekistan, has been Latvia’s development cooperation priority for more than a decade. Currently there are 6 projects in Uzbekistan, including three projects who received development cooperation grants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024. Latvian development cooperation implementers in Uzbekistan work in the following fields: good governance, including support for administrative reforms, anti-corruption and e-government; sustainable economic growth, including standardisation and sustainable agricultural development; gender equality, including the provision of public services to women in the regions and the development of technology enterprises; and climate action.
