News — The EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives

The Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Fund for Digital Initiatives awarded the winners of its 2024 Digital Project Competition at the Digital Technology and Innovations for Eurasia session on the sidelines of the EDB Business Forum.

Water security in many regions of the world is currently under threat. According to the UN, about 2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion people have no access to safe sanitation. Over 40% of people in the world live in regions afflicted with a critical shortage of water. More than 80% of domestic wastewater in developing countries is dumped into rivers and seas without preliminary treatment. Water pollution undermines global water supply security. It is projected that by 2025 about 33% of the world’s river sub-basins will be affected by water scarcity caused primarily by water pollution and the confluence of hydrologic and climatic factors.

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), represented by Denis Ilin, Senior Managing Director, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), represented by Nanna Skau, Representative and Country Director for Armenia, and Yeremyan Farm, represented by David Yeremyan, Founder and CEO of the Yeremyan Projects Group, signed a letter of intent to expand the Milk in Schools programme in Armenia. The partnership aims to consolidate the collaborative efforts of the three organisations to implement the initiative and identify the capacity and resources to support its implementation. The signing took place during the EDB Annual Meeting and Business Forum.

The Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Annual Meeting and Business Forum commenced today at the Rixos Hotel in Almaty. The event has gathered together heads and top managers from credit institutions across Eurasian countries, multilateral development banks, government agencies, businesses, the expert community and journalists.

The EDB has analysed the transport routes in Eurasian countries and released a report titled The Eurasian Transport Network based on the findings. This report introduces a new conceptual approach to future developments within the Eurasian Transport Network and outlines key projects and initiatives aimed at improving transport connectivity in Eurasia.

Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, chaired a meeting of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Council during the Bank’s Annual Meeting to review the EDB’s performance for 2023 and make decisions on further multilateral development. One of the key decisions was to reappoint Nikolai Podguzov as Chairman of the EDB Management Board, with his term extended until 29 June 2028.

The Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Annual Meeting and Business Forum will take place on 27–28 June in Almaty, Kazakhstan. This event will bring together representatives from multilateral development banks, international organisations, businesses, the research community, professional associations, and journalists from various countries to exchange experiences, discuss important topics and outline pathways for joint development in Eurasia.

Prospects for cross-border transport corridors in Eurasia, realising their economic potential, reducing costs and coordinating efforts of authorities and businesses will be key topics discussed by government representatives, businesspeople and experts at the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Annual Meeting and Business Forum on 27–28 June in Almaty.

The Eurasian region holds high development potential due to rapid urbanisation, the active adoption of new technologies and climate change, which drive new requirements for infrastructural development. The diverse trade flows facilitate the creation of new transportation corridors and energy links.