Eurasian Development Bank and UN-Habitat partner to advance sustainable urban development
Almaty/Kazakhstan, October 2026 – The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly identify, prepare and support urban development initiatives in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, combining EDB’s project development and financing expertise with UN-Habitat’s expertise in housing and sustainable urban development.
The cooperation will initially focus on four areas: technical assistance, including the preparation and strengthening of urban projects; capacity development for national and local authorities and utility organizations; digitalization, including urban digital infrastructure, data and artificial intelligence; and analytics, including joint research and knowledge exchange.
The agreement was signed during a meeting between EDB and UN-Habitat, attended by the Chairman of the EDB Management Board, Nikolay Podguzov, and with the online participation of the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach.
The Bank already has a track record in urban projects. In Dushanbe, the EDB, through the Digital Initiatives Fund, is financing a digital platform — an electronic city map — a unified environment for managing urban infrastructure. The project is being implemented jointly with the state enterprise Smart City under the Dushanbe mayor's office.
“We consider urban development an important priority, especially in Central Asia. The Bank already has experience in digital solutions for urban infrastructure. In Dushanbe, we are creating an electronic city map that helps the mayor's office manage utilities, property and urban processes. Cooperation with UN-Habitat will allow us to take a more systematic approach to preparing urban development projects and to draw on the UN’s global expertise,” said Mr. Podguzov.
“The global housing crisis we are facing, affecting up to 3.4 billion people, is a major development challenge. No institution or country can solve it alone. We need multilevel collaboration and cooperation across all sectors,” said Ms. Rossbach. “I am confident that our collaboration with EDB will help translate shared commitments into concrete actions that advance adequate housing and inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities.”
UN-Habitat will provide expertise in areas including urban planning, adequate housing, governance, resilience and basic urban services, while the Bank will contribute its financial, institutional and regional experience to support development initiatives. The two organizations will work together to identify and develop urban projects and explore potential financing and investment pathways.
The cooperation will also strengthen regional coordination by connecting national and local urban priorities with technical expertise, project preparation and potential investment pathways. UN-Habitat’s regional and country presence will support engagement with relevant governments, cities, the United Nations country teams and other partners across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The EDB also cooperates actively with other UN agencies. With ESCAP (UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), the EDB implemented a peer-to-peer exchange project for energy specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. With UNDP (UN Development Programme) in Kazakhstan, an irrigation development project worth $5.3 million is being implemented. With WFP (World Food Programme), the EDB is implementing a wheat flour fortification project in Tajikistan and a school milk programme in Armenia.
Additional Information:
About the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is a multilateral development bank investing in Eurasia. For 20 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries. By the end of June 2026, the EDB’s cumulative portfolio comprised 348 projects with a total investment of USD 22.1 billion. Its portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing and mechanical engineering. The Bank adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles in its operations.
About UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity responsible for sustainable urbanization. It has programmes in over 90 countries supporting policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformative change in cities through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action. To know more, visit unhabitat.org or follow us on social media @UNHABITAT.
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