Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Events organized as part of the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have ended in Samarkand. This year’s theme was Investing in Resilience.

The meeting became a large-scale business event that brought together more than 2 thousand participants from more than 70 countries of the world - major investors and high-ranking guests, world-famous experts in the fields of economics, investment, finance and technology, as well as journalists from the world’s largest media.

The atmosphere of the meetings, the high level of organization, the rich program were conducive to a confidential dialogue, a constructive exchange of views, finding new contacts and establishing partnerships.

The agenda included a variety of topics for discussion, including trade facilitation programs, sustainable solutions for cities of the future, the impact of digital payments on financial inclusion and economic development, sustainable energy in Central Asia, development of the agro-industrial complex, building human capital in the region, the participation of the EBRD in the field of production and services, the privatization of banks in Uzbekistan and many others.

There were also charitable donation ceremonies of the EBRD Community Initiative in support of various organizations supporting inclusion and the presentation of the EBRD Digital Awards.

In their speeches at the panel sessions, the speakers emphasized the high efficiency and scale of the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in order to radically improve the investment climate and create the most comfortable conditions for investors.

As EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso emphasized: “The Central Asian region is regaining its traditional role as a key site on the Silk Road linking East and West, where Uzbekistan has now become a major investment destination for the Bank. The holding of the High-Level Annual Meeting in Samarkand confirms the Bank’s long-term commitment to the reform agenda in Uzbekistan.”

Through partnership with the EBRD, over the past 6 years, 3.9 billion euros have been invested in Uzbekistan, 55% of which are in support of the private sector. US$1.6 billion of the total investment is aimed at supporting the "green economy". 128 projects have been implemented in such areas as the development of financial institutions, industry, trade and agribusiness and infrastructure.

On the margins of the meeting, a number of investment agreements were signed with state, joint-stock commercial and private institutions of Uzbekistan.

The holding of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the EBRD, one of the largest international financial institutions in the world, is a symbol of the confidence of the international business community in our country, the ongoing reforms and the favorable investment climate created here.