The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Program and Regional Director for the Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the United Nations Development Program, Ms. Kori Udovicki comes to Uzbekistan for an official visit from 20 to 24 July. This is her first visit to Uzbekistan since she has been appointed to the current position in March 2007.

The main objective of Ms. Udovicki’s visit is to review the programs implemented by UNDP in Uzbekistan, and have a discussion with key national partners and the country office staff. During her stay, Ms. Udovicki will meet main national counterparts, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy and the Chamber of Commerce.

As a part of her program, Ms. Udovicki will also visit several project sites.

UNDP has been operating in Uzbekistan since 1993. During its more than a decade-long presence in the country, UNDP has been collaborating closely with the national partners to improve the living standards of the citizens.

UNDP’s assistance in Uzbekistan is focused on three thematic areas: economic governance, environment and energy, and good governance. Special attention is paid to advocating for the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for development, as well as to help women further improve their status in society and the work place. Over the last several years, UNDP’s portfolio in Uzbekistan has been steadily growing with a total of US$24 million worth projects implemented in 2006.

Ms. Udovicki assumed her responsibilities with UNDP in March 2007. Prior to joining UNDP, she held several senior management positions in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Ms. Udovicki has strong international experience, including work as an IMF economist focusing on the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Most recently, she has been serving as the president of the Center for Advanced Economic Studies, a Belgrade-based think tank working to advance economic knowledge in Southeast Europe. Ms. Udovicki holds a Ph.D. and an M.Phil. in economics, both from Yale University.

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.