OREANDA-NEWS. Ambassador of Great Britain to Uzbekistan George Edgar visited the office of the Administration of Tashkent region (Khokimiat) on 11 December 2014.

He met Khokimiat officials and representatives of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) led by Mr. Farid Garakhanov, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative. They discussed the results of a pilot project designed to improve accountability and transparency of local authorities in Uzbekistan.

The project is being implemented by the UNDP and is partly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It aims to promote more effective, accountable and inclusive governance at local levels as well as encouraging more participation from citizens. The project activities include training of local officials on public relations and information management to enable citizens to access public data. This will support the development of communication between local authorities and the public on social, economic and environmental matters.

Mr. Anvar Abdukadyrov, Deputy Governor of Tashkent Region, highlighted social-economic development and investment opportunities in the region and described how the Khokimiat has benefited from the project. The Ambassador was given a short tour of the information centre established under the project and met officials who are running it.

In an interview with local journalists after the visit, the Ambassador said: "I'm pleased that the British Government has been able to contribute to this important project, which will help citizens better understand the activities of their local government, and help local government respond effectively to citizens' needs."