U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator Javier Piedra will travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan with a delegation led by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.  Piedra will continue on to Almaty, Kazakhstan from January 8 through January 17, 2021.

In Uzbekistan, Acting Assistant Administrator Piedra will emphasize USAID’s deepening engagement in Central Asia, highlighting USAID’s new bilateral missions in Tashkent and Dushanbe which were officially launched in September 2020. He will also meet with several government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Sardor Umurzakov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov. 

In Kazakhstan, Acting Assistant Administrator Piedra will meet with KazAID Ambassador-at-large Rapil Seytkhanovich Zhoshybaev to discuss development cooperation between USAID and the Kazakhstan International Development Agency, or KazAID. Acting Assistant Administrator Piedra will also meet with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as embassy leadership and staff. Lastly, Acting Assistant Administrator Piedra will deliver remarks on the importance of advancing human rights, which will be disseminated via local media.