Remediation work at legacy uranium mining sites in Uzbekistan is under way, bolstered by a €9 million grant from the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA)­ set up on the initiative of the European Union (EU) and managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This is the second Central Asian state, where such remediation activity under the ERA is taking place.

Agri-Food Investment Forum of Uzbekistan took place today as part of the International Conference on Food Security in Samarkand.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2022 shows Uzbekistan occupying the 21st position among the 121 countries for which the index is prepared (countries where hunger is not a noteworthy problem are left out of the index). Uzbekistan’s score on the hunger index is 5.6 which is worse than the score of 24.2 it had in 2020. (The lower the figure, the less is hunger).  

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed decree on September 4 aimed at developing private airlines in Uzbekistan. The decree aims to relax the temporary import of aircraft. This is provided for by the Roadmap attached to the decree after his dialogue with business leaders.

One-stage control point has been launched at Tashkent’s central (Northern) rail station, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan said. This means that document checks and baggage inspections are now carried out in one place, and not in several, as before.

Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Qudratov, who is on a visit to the United States on September 4-5, held talks with the leadership of Air Products, Exxon Mobil, Abbott, HP, Valmont Industries, General Electric, Caterpillar, US Inc, John Deere Air Products , Exxon Mobil, Abbott, HP, Valmont Industries, General Electric, Caterpillar, US Inc, John Deere and others.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Qu Dongyu on Thursday and discussed the ways to counter modern challenges and threats to food security, including at the regional level, the presidential press service said.

Amid overlapping challenges and geopolitical risks, IFC invested and mobilized over $1.6 billion in the Central Asia region in fiscal year 2023 (FY23)—its highest ever in the region—to enhance growth, upgrade regional connectivity, and build climate resilience. That work, between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, came alongside milestone engagements to boost financial inclusion, structure groundbreaking public-private partnership (PPP) projects, and promote gender diversity.

Record batch of drugs - 8.5 tons of opium straw was arrested at the Tashkent-Aero customs complex at Tashkent’s international airport, the Customs Committee said. The operation was carried out by officers of the Customs Committee (CC) and the State Security Service.

On August 31, a minor boy was beaten in Furqat district of Fergana province, the provincial police department said. A 13-year-old teenager damaged the tires of a GM Nexia belonging to his neighbor R.Yu. The man assaulted and wounded the child.

Uzbekistan and Israel have agreed to lift restrictions on air flights between the countries, the Dunyo reported. On September 6, the Uzbek Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Feruza Mahmudova, and the Minister of Transport and Road Safety of Israel, Miri Regev, signed a MoM amending the intergovernmental treaty on air services of July 4, 1994.

At the session of the Legislative Chamber on September 5, MPs considered a package of amendments to the Administrative Liability Code and the Criminal Code, the press service of the lower house said. These amendments would reportedly create legal basis for enhancing Uzbekistan as a secular state as enshrined in the Constitution.

The Department of State has issued all available 55,000 diversity visas for the 2023 Diversity Visa Program.  Each year, the Department of State is legally allowed to issue approximately 55,000 diversity visas.  When all of the 55,000 diversity visas are issued, the program concludes for that year in all countries – not just Uzbekistan.

President’s envoy for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Ergashev met with the delegation led by Basir Feda, who leads the Afghanistan/Central and Southeast Asia Unit of the German Berghof Foundation.

Uzbek national was severely wounded as a result of a shootout between two criminal groups in Istanbul on September 2. Despite the provided medical assistance, he died in a hospital, the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Istanbul said.

Ukrainian children received humanitarian aid from Uzbek benefactors, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Tashkent Mykola Doroshenko said on his facebook page.

Khanka district criminal court of Khorezm province at a session on August 25 sentenced the blogger Shabnam (Nafosat) Ollashukurova to three years of house arrest, the press service of the Supreme Court said.

Full health insurance coverage in Uzbekistan will be completed in the end of 2026. This is provided in the Sep. 6 presidential decree on improving the public health.

Uzbekistan Airways has announced the launch of Zomin regular flights. Flights HY1001/1002 will be operated on daily basis:

On September 5, the government issued Additional measures to support certain socially needy categories of the population and promote their employment Resolution, the press service of the Ministry of Justice said.