Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

In Uzbekistan, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements projects and programmes on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). GIZ opened a country office in the capital Tashkent in 1992. Other offices in the Andijan, Surkhandarya and Karakalpakstan regions are responsible for activities in the country’s rural areas.

GIZ currently has 15 seconded staff, five CIM experts and four development workers in Uzbekistan, working in areas such as health, economic development and protection of natural resources.

After gaining independence in 1991, Uzbekistan began to adapt its centrally planned economy to the new economic realities. Traditional trade links and production chains collapsed and new national borders cut across transport and trading routes, impeding access to energy and water resources which had previously been shared with other Central Asian states. As a newly independent state, Uzbekistan faces numerous social and economic challenges.

Within the framework of international cooperation, GIZ is supporting reforms in the economy, health and education, and the protection of natural resources. Sustainable economic development and health are priority areas of Germany’s cooperation with Uzbekistan.

GIZ is working hard to promote inclusive economic growth. By developing the private sector, the aim is to support the diversification of the economy and expand the upstream and downstream sectors of agriculture in order to create jobs and income-generating opportunities, particularly in disadvantaged regions. The tourism industry now features more prominently in economic development programmes as well. GIZ is also supporting reform processes with vocational education and advanced management training programmes.

Key areas of activity in the health sector are capacity development and quality assurance in sexual and reproductive health, health promotion for young people, and public awareness-raising with HIV/AIDS and drug prevention programmes.

In order to maximise the impact of projects and programmes in Uzbekistan, GIZ works closely with other German institutions, bilateral and multilateral organisations and the private sector.