Naqvi has worked for the World Bank in several positions since 2004 across Europe, Central Asia and South Asia. Most recently, between 2016 and 2020, he was the World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan. Before joining the Bank, he taught Economics at University of Durham, UK, following on an earlier career in Pakistan’s civil service. Naqvi holds degrees in Economics, Political Science, and Civil Engineering. He received his PhD from the University of Hull, UK, for his work on Economic Growth.

“I am excited to start my new assignment as World Bank Country Manager for the Kyrgyz Republic,” said Naveed Hassan Naqvi. “The World Bank is a trusted partner for the Kyrgyz Republic in work on poverty reduction and increasing shared prosperity for its citizens. I look forward to working closely with the government counterparts, our international partners, and other stakeholders to continue supporting the country’s COVID-19 response, overall economic growth and recovery, public service delivery, and improvement of social conditions and the business environment through our investment projects, technical assistance, and analytical work.”

The World Bank’s country program in the Kyrgyz Republic currently comprises 20 projects in the amount of $618 million including 15 national and five regional projects that focus on maintaining macroeconomic stability, investing in strategic infrastructure and providing critical support in key sectors including health, education, disaster risk management, water supply and sanitation, rural development, energy sector, and digital development.

In recent months, the World Bank has moved rapidly to provide additional support to the Kyrgyz Republic to combat the unprecedented health, economic, and social challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. On 30 July, the World Bank Board of Directors endorsed three new projects for the Kyrgyz Republic: Emergency Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises ($50 million); Social Protection Emergency Response and Delivery Systems ($50 million); and CASA-1000 Community Support COVID-19 Additional Financing ($21 million).