CATBIG is delighted to welcome to their first CATBIG meetings HM Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Judith Farnworth (the first resident Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from the UK), and HM Ambassador to Tajikistan, Robin Ord-Smith LVO.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are the two least-developed countries in Central Asia, without (at present) significant oil and gas reserves, although they do have other mineral deposits which are attracting international investors. They are also major recipients of development aid, particularly in the infrastructure sector, where the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, EuropeAid and our own Department for International Development all have significant programmes offering a wide range of business opportunities. Continue reading
The international forum entitled “Central Asia Water Dialogue Meeting: Implementation of the IFAS Summit Conclusions and Outcomes of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Central Asia” took place in the Turkmen capital. The participants of the forum held at the UN Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia were the high-ranking officials of the Central Asian governments and the authoritative international organizations including the United Nations, the European Union, OSCE, the World Bank and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). The representatives of the Afghan Government and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan took part as observers. 
The World Bank co-organized one of the Forum’s plenary sessions jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the JSC “Economic Research Institute”. Motoo Konishi, World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia and Konstantin Huber, World Bank Executive Director for Kazakhstan, attended the session. John Litwack, Lead Economist for Kazakhstan, moderated the session. 
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program conducted a public-private partnership workshop in Tashkent on 24 June 2010.
The Board of Directors of the World Bank has approved a $2mln grant for the project aimed at modernization of Tajikistan’s education system.