Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As part of monitoring the mission of the Islamic Development Bank to Uzbekistan, a meeting was held between the head of the IDB delegation, Vahyu Vijayanto, and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, F. Ermanov, with the participation of representatives of the Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and UNDP.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the progress of the implementation of the "Sustainable Rural Development" project in the target areas of Karakalpakstan and the challenges in the implementation of project initiatives.

The main goal of this project is the development of rural areas through the active participation of the local population. In total, the IDB allocates US$200 million for the implementation of the project.

To date, the project has developed 113 Community Development Plans (CDP). Of these, 31 CDPs to improve 160 social infrastructure facilities in 5 districts of Karakalpakstan.

The project is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Program, the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction and is being implemented with the financial support of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development with the aim of creating favorable living conditions for rural residents and ensuring their access to basic infrastructure, social and economic services, including access to health care and education.

Main goals:

1) Strengthening the capacity of local communities to identify and represent their interests and needs;

2) Training of representatives of local architectural and design institutes and regional construction departments;

3) Development of the capacity of the construction sector and architectural design for the implementation of innovative IT solutions and digital transformation, taking into account gender aspects;

4) Involving local communities in decision-making processes to ensure sustainable infrastructure.