Translated with AI
The management committee of the Ishonch Foundation, which oversees the assets of Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan's first president, returned to her homeland by Switzerland, has decided to allocate $20 million to a project to improve rural schools, Fergana.ru reported, citing the UN office in the Central Asian republic.
The project in question is "Modeling Resilience to Climate Change and Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools," which will launch in Uzbekistan on October 1 of this year.
At least 45 rural schools across the republic will be renovated as part of the project. These schools will be provided with drinking water, modern sanitation, heating, and clean energy sources. This will reduce energy consumption by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.
Experts estimate that the implementation of this large-scale program will improve daily learning conditions for 31,500 children, including teenage girls, who will be able to access private, gender-inclusive schools.
In addition, part of the Ishonch Foundation's funds will be used to organize courses on climate resilience, water supply, sanitation, and hygiene for 2,700 teachers and other school staff.
The project's relevance stems from the fact that, due to the rapid growth of school enrollment in Uzbekistan, over 1.4 million children attend educational institutions with limited or no running water. Many rural institutions still use cesspools and inefficient heating systems. This program will address most of these issues.
It is noted that funds within the project will be spent transparently. Through a dedicated portal, "My Best School," users will be able to track estimates, contractors, construction deadlines, and the progress of specific projects.
"Switzerland is proud that the resources received through restitution are being transformed into tangible, corruption-resistant investments that directly benefit the people of Uzbekistan," said Konstantin Obolensky, Switzerland's ambassador to the Central Asian republic, commenting on the allocation of funds for schools.
In 2022, under an agreement between Uzbekistan and Switzerland, the Ishonch Fund was established, operating under a UN multilateral trust fund. It is through this entity that the return of Gulnara Karimova's illicit assets is being carried out. The first tranche was reportedly $131 million. The two countries also agreed to repatriate $182 million as part of a second transfer.
In April of this year, it was reported that some of the illegal assets of the daughter of Uzbekistan's first president, returned to her homeland, were used for projects in the healthcare and education sectors.
In Europe, investigations into the corrupt activities of Karimova and related companies began in 2012. In 2018, Switzerland confiscated Karimova's assets worth more than $555 million. However, according to Uzbek authorities, the daughter of the first head of state transferred more than $1 billion of her criminally obtained wealth abroad.
Since 2013, several criminal cases have been opened against Karimova in Uzbekistan on charges of embezzlement, tax evasion, and organizing a criminal organization. Courts handed down several sentences, including a 13-year prison term, after which the former president's daughter was sent to a women's prison colony near Tashkent.
