The Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan and UNICEF have announced the signing of two partnership agreements for the implementation of projects with a total value of $19.2 million.

These projects are aimed at supporting reforms and advancing quality inclusive education in Uzbekistan as part of the joint initiative between the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) under the Accelerated Funding for Education Project (ACG-GPE SmartEd).

According to the UNICEF Representative Office in Uzbekistan, the partnership aims to ensure that every child in the project implementation areas has access to modern, inclusive education focused on developing competencies, to scale the project’s experience nationwide under the government’s leadership. A key objective is strengthening every teacher’s capacity and support in shaping confident, competent, and resilient students.

The ACG-GPE SmartEd project, with a budget of $220.25 million, launched at the Human Capability Initiative conference in Riyadh on April 13, 2025, is the most significant external investment in developing Uzbekistan’s education sector. It aligns with the country’s development goals and priorities and is designed to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) quickly and effectively.

The project will support national education reforms to build and develop an inclusive, efficient, and accountable education system by 2030.

N. Usmanova, UzA