Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 29 May, a meeting took place at the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines, between Sherzod Otaboev, Head of the Department for Coordination of Land Reform and Master Plan Development at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, and representatives of the ADB.

The meeting was attended by Norio Saito, ADB Senior Director for the Water and Urban Development Sector, Jingmin Huang, Director of the East, Central, and West Asia Group, Srinivas Sampath, Director of the Developing Member Countries Group, and other senior officials.

The talks were held as part of the “Water and Urban Development” forum in Manila and focused on prospects for cooperation in the formulation and implementation of urban development master plans.

One of the key topics discussed was the potential engagement of an international company to support the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan for one year in the development of master plans, with ADB providing technical assistance.

The proposed collaboration envisions the implementation of master plans already developed for six regions, the creation of new master plans for two additional regions, improvements to existing legislation, and the enhancement of local expertise in urban planning through the integration of international best practices.

Following the discussions, both parties agreed to expedite the process of selecting the international company. At the initial stage, the city of Kattakurgan in Samarkand Region will be designated as a pilot site for master plan development. The parties will also prepare proposals for financing infrastructure projects based on the master plans, utilizing resources from the Asian Development Bank.