AKIPRESS.COM - UNDP in Uzbekistan held its annual National Project Coordinators (NPC) meeting earlier this month to take into account the successes gained by national projects both individually and within programmatic areas, and to identify possible future challenges to UNDP’s work. The participants also overviewed key objectives within the UNDP Strategic Plan for 2014-2017.

They highlighted the need to encourage Uzbekistan’s sustainable development not only as a separate nation, but also as a key state in the Central Asian region. Consequently, how to promote stronger south-south development between the five nations in the region was an important topic of discussion.

Key directions identified in the economic governance field included improved policy development dialogue, increased employment through an improved business environment, and enhanced aid coordination. In the governance field priorities included developing regulatory reform, strengthening professional social work, and improving e-governance reform.

A number of priorities were also identified in the environment and energy field. There is a continued need for a national water management strategy and the enlargement of protected area networks.

The UNDP Strategic Plan for 2014-2017 will focus on human development as an overall paradigm, and will address relative poverty with a focus on equity. Objectives for the plan also include enhancing the government’s capacity to identify and provide targeted assistance to low-income and disadvantaged groups.