Uzbekistan will allocate $20 million recovered from assets once belonging to Gulnara Karimova—the daughter of the country’s first president—to modernize rural schools across the nation. The decision was announced by the UN Office in Uzbekistan, according to reporting by Fergana.
The funds, managed by the IShONCh Foundation—established to oversee the repatriated assets—will support the launch of a new initiative starting October 1. The project, titled “Modeling Climate Resilience and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools,” aims to renovate at least 45 schools in various regions of Uzbekistan.
As part of the upgrades, schools will receive access to clean drinking water, modern sanitation facilities, heating systems, and environmentally safe energy sources. The initiative is expected to reduce energy consumption by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.
According to project estimates, the improvements will directly benefit over 31,500 students, including adolescent girls, by providing access to gender-sensitive learning environments. Additionally, more than 2,700 teachers and school staff will receive training in climate resilience, hygiene, and sanitation.
The initiative addresses a critical issue in Uzbekistan, where more than 1.4 million schoolchildren currently study in facilities with outdated sanitation and heating systems or no reliable water supply.
Transparency will be ensured through an online platform called “My Best School,” allowing citizens to track budgets, contractors, and project progress in real time.
Swiss Ambassador to Uzbekistan Konstantin Obolensky noted that Switzerland is proud to see the returned assets being used for transparent, socially impactful projects.
The IShONCh Foundation was created in 2022 under a bilateral agreement between Uzbekistan and Switzerland and operates under the UN’s multilateral trust fund. The first tranche of repatriated funds totaled US$131 million, with an additional $182 million expected to follow.
Previously, parts of the recovered assets were allocated to healthcare and education projects.
Gulnara Karimova, once a powerful political figure, has been the subject of corruption investigations in Europe since 2012. In 2018, Swiss authorities confiscated more than US$555 million of her assets. Uzbek officials estimate she moved over US$1 billion abroad. Since 2013, multiple criminal cases have been opened against her in Uzbekistan. She is currently serving a 13-year sentence in a prison colony near Tashkent.
