World Bank Document

The CPF program will remain flexible as circumstances change and new 

opportunities may arise. Analysis and technical assistance has been key to broadening WBG 

engagement with Uzbekistan, whether in new sectors such as horticulture or transport or on 

sensitive issues such as child and forced labor. A special focus for future analytical work will be 

areas where the government has made strong statements of principle, but where specific actions, 

sequencing, and the pace of reform remain to be determined. These include: (a) reducing the role 

of the state in the economy; (b) improving access to and the quality of economic, labor and 

household data; (c) expanding private sector participation in the economy and improving Doing 

Business rankings; and (d) transforming and modernizing agriculture, including the cotton sub-

sector. 

 

40. 

WBG financing is now, and in the near term will remain focused on infrastructure 

investments. This is appropriate to meet the large unmet demand for such investment, to improve 

the competitiveness of the economy, and given the WBG’s comparative advantage in linking 

policy and investment. Over time, WBG financing could evolve towards large-scale structural 

reforms and areas where innovative approaches are required. Safeguards are a cross-cutting area 

that is often integral to large infrastructure and agricultural projects. Technical assistance will be 

provided to strengthen government capacity in social and environmental safeguards and to bring 

legal requirements up to international standards.