“EBRD Selects Samarkand as Host for Annual Meeting”
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is gearing up for its 32nd Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from May 16-18. The event, which is set to attract government officials, financial and corporate executives, entrepreneurs, civil society and media from all over the world, will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia. The meeting promises a return to the region for the first time since 2011 for the highlight of the Bank’s calendar. This year’s theme is “Investing in Resilience”.
Over the course of the three-day meeting, starting on May 16, the Bank’s Governors will hold discussions on various topics including ways to boost support for Ukraine and the possibility of expanding EBRD’s operations to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will address the Annual Meeting.
The Business Forum will feature guest speakers such as Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, political scientist Fiona Hill, historians Harold James and Peter Frankopan, and economist Sergei Guriev, among others. Topics to be discussed during the forum include energy security and renewables, the short and long-term challenges posed by the war in Ukraine, digitalisation in emerging markets, and financial inclusion.
For those unable to attend the event in Samarkand, there will be opportunities to follow many of the proceedings live online. Additionally, at the Annual Meeting, the Bank is set to release its Regional Economic Prospects report which will present the latest macroeconomic forecast for its regions.
Uzbekistan’s Investment Outlook Session on May 17 will be one of the highlights of the Business Forum, as it is the location where the EBRD’s largest renewable energy project was implemented in any of its regions. In 2022 alone, the Bank invested €839m in 26 projects in the country, making it the top recipient of Bank funding in Central Asia for the third year running.
