International experts discussed Uzbekistan’s progress in the fight against poverty
Abhijit Banerjee, co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), spoke at a forum on 'Uzbekistan's progress in poverty reduction' to share analysis and findings at the close of the Centre for Economic Research and Reform's poverty reduction efforts in Tashkent on 23 February.
In his video address to the round table participants, Abhijit called for deepening the study of poverty reduction and developing policies that will change the world.
“I am pleased to welcome you to this round table, which is taking place in Tashkent, dedicated to reducing and combating poverty. This is one of the biggest problems of our time, and by bringing a scientific approach to solving this issue, as well as the researchers who have gathered here today and can delve into its study, all of these will allow us to develop measures that can change this world,” he noted.
The International Round Table on the topic: “Achievements of Uzbekistan in the fight against poverty: analysis and conclusions”, organized by the Center for Economic Research and Reforms together with the World Bank, the UN Development Program in Uzbekistan and the Representative Office of the UN Children’s Fund in Uzbekistan, completed its work in Tashkent on 23 February.
The discussion forum brought together representatives of international organizations, UN agencies, civil society institutions, experts from foreign research centers and the media.
It is important to note that Uzbekistan has made progress in advancing its transformation agenda in the fight against poverty and inequality. Starting in 2021, the poverty level in the country has been reduced from 17% to 11%.
According to CERR estimates, over three years there has been a decrease in the structure of wage income and an increase in small business. So, if in 2021 income from wages amounted to 70.2%, and from small businesses - 0.7%, then by the end of 2023 it was already 62.7% and 2.9%, respectively.