Assistance Plans - Uzbekistan V. Donor Activities and Aid Coordination 79. Activities of the multilateral and bilateral donors to Uzbekistan have been complementary and involve close coordination and collaboration. Since December 1996, the IMF program has been suspended due to the Government's introduction of restrictions on the trade and foreign exchange regimes. In the absence of an IMF program, there are no programs involving fast-disbursing assistance from any international funding agency.
Japan has limited processing new project assistance.
Major donors are particularly keen in the Government's implementation of a credible program of reforms and some concrete steps by the Government towards the establishment of an IMF program. The World Bank group has been the principal source of multilateral assistance to Uzbekistan. Through its interventions, the World Bank is addressing issues in the water supply, health and sanitation sectors, strengthening social protection and the provision of social services, and the restructuring in agriculture. The World Bank has been taking a lead in health, banking and finance, urban development, environment, and the social safety net, while ADB has taken the lead role in the education, railways, and road sector reforms. In the agriculture sector, ADB and the World Bank have been working closely to provide a consistent set of policy advice.