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Uzbekistan became a World Bank member in 1992, shortly after declaring independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The World Bank has supported projects in Uzbekistan in the areas of education, infrastructure, agriculture, and water resource management. Uzbekistan's collaboration with the bank has been increasing, with IBRD and IDA lending reaching a recent peak of $500 million in 2015. [1] The World Bank has provided financing for 27 projects through the IBRD and IDA in throughout its relationship with Uzbekistan, with 15 active projects as of June 2017. Current IBRD and IDA projects total $1.9 billion. [2]
The Uzbekistan economy is currently in a period of sustained economic growth since 2002, with GDP growing 7.8% in 2016. [3] The World Bank attributes growth in 2016 to expansions in services, agriculture and the service sectors. Cotton is a major commodity comprising 14.2% of total exports in 2015, down from more than 20% in 2012. [4]
The World Bank's Systematic Country Diagnostic report released in 2016 identifies 10 constraints that limit the economic potential of Uzbekistan. Among these are low accountability and regional inequality in the public sector, infrastructure bottlenecks, regulatory barriers, inefficient land allocation in the agricultural sector, limited access to pre-primary and tertiary education, and unsustainable use of natural resources. [5] Taking into account the constraints listed in the SCD, the World Bank Country Partnership Framework for 2016–2020 highlights three Focus Areas to support the government's objective of achieving upper-middle income status by 2030. The focuses are private sector growth, agricultural competitiveness and cotton sector modernization, and public service delivery. [6]
The Talimarjan Transmission Project financed the construction of high voltage transmission lines in the southern Bukhara and Qashqadaryo regions of Uzbekistan and an open switch yard for the Talimarjan Thermal Power Plant. The project, closed on June 30, 2011, was designed to reduce transmission losses and improve service reliability for the region. Additionally, the project provided the increased transmission capacity necessary for two new combined cycle generators at the Talimarjan plant financed by the Asian Development Bank, JICA, and local investments. [7] The project resulted in increased power reliability for 4 million people in the project area, with frequency of interruption down, electrical outages reduced from 92 to 24 hours per year, and voltage variation reduced to 5%. [7]
A series of projects aimed at improving access and quality of rural healthcare have been supported by the World Bank in conjunction with the government of Uzbekistan. The First Health Project resulted in the establishment or rehabilitation of 682 primary care centers in rural Uzbekistan, with 673 receiving updated medical equipment. Ten month training courses in family medicine were provided to 898 doctors. [8] The follow-up project, Second Health Project, resulted in upgraded equipment for 2,389 rural clinics and additional 10-month training courses for 3,770 general practitioners. [9] Additionally, the project increased prenatal care coverage, newborn hepatitis B immunization, primary care utilization per capita, and essential drug stocks at the primary care level. [10] The third project in the series, Health System Improvement Project, is currently underway with a greater emphasis on the larger district hospitals. [9]
The two phase Basic Education project aimed to improve the quality of general education in Uzbekistan by providing teachers with better materials, implementing standardized tests, and improving educational budget practices. Phase 1 targeted preschools and secondary education in 7 out of Uzbekistan's 12 oblasts. The project was completed in February 2011 and resulted in 80% of targeted schools receiving improved materials, effecting 1,501 secondary schools and 598 preschools. The project also provided training for 3,000 teachers, principals, and methodological in new teaching methods and software applications. A new financing formula for schools budgets was implemented with input from the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Finance. [11] Phase 2, completed in March 2014, continued the progress of phase 1 and expanded the targeted number of secondary schools to 2,198 from 1,501. Training was given to 59,147 teachers on student-centered teaching approaches. School improvement grants were administered to 500 school boards. [12] The IEG ICR Review for the project determined that improvements to teaching were substantial due to the adoption of new materials and training while improvements to learning and student performance were modest based on standardized math and reading test scores from Grade 4 students. The Bank notes the difficulty in developing appropriate project timelines for education and how to accurately measure results for relatively short term projects. [13]
The cotton industry is a major component of Uzbekistan's economy and remains in state control. Instances of the use of forced and child labor have been documented in the annual cotton harvest. [14] A complaint was filed on June 30, 2016 against the IFC of the World Bank Group by an alleged forced laborer as well as three Uzbek human rights defenders. [15] The complaint against IFC project number 36098 was filed anonymously in fear of retaliation. The complaint asserts that the IFC had not fulfilled its due diligence responsibilities in approving a loan in the amount of $40 million to Indorama Kokand Textile (IKT), a joint venture between the National Bank of Uzbekistan and Indorama Corporation. [16] The loan was approved in spite of an IFC Environmental and Social Review Summary, referenced in the complaint, finding that the IKT had limited ability in ensuring that its supply chain remain free of forced labor. [16] The IFC response to the complaint as well as the Environmental and Social Review Summary on IKT appear to be publicly unavailable, as references to IFC project 36098 have been removed from the IFC website. [17]
The World Bank acknowledges the history of forced and child labor in Uzbek cotton and current projects aim to eliminate its use. The IFC project Sustainable Cotton Supply Chain Development in Uzbekistan aims to work with the government of Uzbekistan to establish a sustainable cotton production system. The new system is being developed in accordance with standards from the Better Cotton Initiative and will introduce market incentives to discourage the use of forced labor. [18] The project began in February 2017 and is projected to run through December 2022.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers loans to middle-income developing countries. It is the first of five member institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The initial mission of the IBRD in 1944, was to finance the reconstruction of European nations devastated by World War II. The IBRD and its concessional lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA), are collectively known as the World Bank as they share the same leadership and staff.
The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group. The bank is headquartered in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It provided around $98.83 billion in loans and assistance to "developing" and transition countries in the 2021 fiscal year. The bank's stated mission is to achieve the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and building shared prosperity. Total lending as of 2015 for the last 10 years through Development Policy Financing was approximately $117 billion. Its five organizations are
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
The International Development Association (IDA) is a development finance institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It was established in 1960 to complement the existing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development by lending to developing countries which suffer from the lowest gross national income, from troubled creditworthiness, or from the lowest per capita income. Together, the International Development Association and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development are collectively generally known as the World Bank, as they follow the same executive leadership and operate with the same staff.
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China originally joined the World Bank Group (WBG) on December 27, 1945. However, after the Chinese Civil War, the World Bank recognized the Republic of China as its member, until the relationship ended in 1980, when the membership was replaced by the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) did not become involved with the World Bank group until 1980, when it first joined the World Bank in April due to the market reforms known as reform and opening-up. Prior to the economic reform and its relation with the World Bank, according to CRS, "China maintained policies that kept the economy very poor, stagnant, centrally controlled, vastly inefficient, and relatively isolated from the global economy". Since its entry into the World Bank, China has transformed into a market-based economy and has experienced rapid economic and social development. Currently, although China has become the world's second largest economy with 1.4 billion population, it still has a close relationship with the World Bank in areas such as poverty, environmental protection and new challenges from the reform.
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Sri Lanka has been involved with the World Bank since its initial entrance into the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) on August 29, 1950. Currently, Sri Lanka's quota in the IBERT is approximately 515.4 million dollars, thus allotting 5,846 votes or 0.25% of the total votes in the institution. Sri Lanka later became a member of the other institutions in the world bank such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on July 20, 1956, with a current quota of 7.491 million dollars, allotting 8,311 votes or 0.32% of the total votes; the International Development Association (IDA) on June 27, 1961, with a current share of 98,100 votes or 0.36% within the institution; the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on November 11, 1967; and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) on May 27, 1988, with a current quota of 4.78 million SDR. Sri Lanka is currently in the India-led constituency for these organizations, representing the country as part of the South Asian block.
The World Bank Group country partnership framework aims to support Haiti's efforts to reduce poverty and provide economic opportunities for all Haitians. The framework aims to strengthen institutions, government capacity, and public financial management as aid and concessional financing rapidly decline.
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Uruguay and the World Bank have been working together for a long time. This is because they both mutually benefit.
Vietnam joined the World Bank Group (WBG) on 21 September 1956. Before the mid-1980s, Vietnam was one of the world's least developed countries. A series of economic and political reforms launched in 1986, known as Đổi Mới, caused Vietnam to experience rapid economic growth and development, becoming a lower middle-income country. The World Bank (WB) has maintained a development partnership with Vietnam since 1993. As of 25 March 2019, it has committed a total of US$24 billion in loans, credits, and grants to Vietnam through 165 operations and projects, 44 of which are active as of 2019 and comprise US$9 billion. With an estimated extreme poverty rate below 3% and a GDP growth rate of 7.1% in 2018, Vietnam's economy continues to show fundamental strength and is supported by robust domestic demand and export-oriented manufacturing.
The relationship between Ethiopia and the World Bank was formalized on December 27, 1945.
The World Bank Group (WBG) provides grants, credits and policy analysis to support economic development in Tanzania with a focus on infrastructure and private sector growth. As of 2018, WBG supports 25 active projects with funding of more than $3.95 billion. The WBG provides analytical and technical assistance in coordination with these projects. From 2007-2018 Tanzania maintained real GDP growth averaging 6.8% a year. Growth concentrated in the agricultural and transportation sectors. Complementing this growth, the poverty rate in Tanzania fell from 28.2% in 2012 to 26.9% in 2016. Debate exists over the validity of this growth as development may be unevenly dispersed among different geographic and income groups.
Croatia joined the World Bank in 1993, two years after declaring independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. The World Bank's projects from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s primarily focused on infrastructural and environmental projects.
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Paraguay joined the World Bank Group on 28 December 1945. In 1951, the World Bank approved an Agriculture project in Paraguay marking the beginning of a partnership that persists to this day and has given rise to 76 development projects of which 6 are currently active. Paraguay has received $2,718,521,989 in total commitments from the World Bank. Paraguay saw an annual growth rate of 4.5% per year until 2016 making it one of the fastest growing economies among regional neighbors. The implementation of steady and dependable macroeconomic policies have fostered a friendly environment for investors that largely contribute to Paraguay's consistent economic growth, however much of Paraguay's economic development has resulted from the replacement of forests with agriculture operations. As forests become increasingly scarce and climate change disrupts agricultural output, Paraguay will be forced to adapt its economy and society to meet a number of targets including strengthening the rule of law, achieving sustainability in regards to its natural resources, investing in human capital, and improving government services. To achieve these goals, Paraguay is collaborating with the World Bank including strategic partnerships with IBRD, and IFC. Jordan Schwartz is the World Bank director for Paraguay and Matilde Bordón is the World Bank representative.
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