Uzbekistan uses restituted funds for $20 million school climate resilience project
Uzbekistan has launched a $20 million project to modernize rural schools with climate-resilient infrastructure
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — Uzbekistan has launched a $20 million project to modernize rural schools with climate-resilient infrastructure, marking the country’s first major initiative funded by restituted assets recovered from abroad.
Set to begin on October 1, the project is part of a broader commitment announced earlier this year by the Ishonch Fund, established under a restitution deal with Switzerland. The fund, created in line with the UN Convention Against Corruption, manages $182 million in confiscated assets once linked to Gulnara Karimova, daughter of former president Islam Karimov, according to The Times of Central Asia.
The program will target 45 rural schools with upgrades such as clean water supply, modern sanitation, energy-efficient heating, and renewable energy technologies. Officials expect the improvements to cut energy use by nearly one-third and halve greenhouse gas emissions. More than 31,500 students — particularly adolescent girls — will benefit from gender-sensitive facilities, while 2,700 teachers and administrators will receive training in resilience and community engagement.
Swiss Ambassador Konstantin Obolensky praised the initiative as a “landmark achievement” in restitution, stressing that funds once lost to corruption are now redirected into “visible, corruption-resistant investments” for the public good. Speaking earlier this month at a forum in Namangan, he underlined Switzerland’s long-term commitment to ensuring restituted resources strengthen essential public services.
Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Ilkhom Norkulov, said the program reflects the government’s wider reform agenda. By pairing infrastructure upgrades with oversight mechanisms, he argued, the project advances both resilience and accountability for future generations.
Oversight tools will include the “My Better School” platform, which allows communities to track contractors, budgets, and timelines in real time, as well as an Integrity Pact to safeguard procurement processes.
UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl emphasized that the initiative links transparency with climate adaptation, calling it an investment in “trust, equity, and the future of every child.”
Officials say the restitution-financed model could serve as a blueprint for broader education modernization in Uzbekistan, aligning national reforms with international standards for climate adaptation, transparency, and gender equality.
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