Strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Central Asia is home to some 50 million people living in five countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Often associated with natural resource wealth and low poverty rates, Central Asia however remains in the grip of complex development challenges.
The region’s poor grapple with issues comparable to other parts of the world — low wages, poor living standards and food insecurity — and other fairly unique problems, such as long and harsh winters. The development of Central Asian nations is further hindered by a bleak political landscape, which is largely the result of the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1991. Governments lack clearly set priorities for promoting a transition to an inclusive economy.