The publication was produced within the framework of UNIDO project: “Fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in the New Silk Road Economic Belt: Leveraging potentials of industrial parks, zones and cities in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan” funded by the People’s Republic of China. The diagnostic studies provide an overview of the features, functioning and effectiveness of existing or planned economic zones and parks in project countries and suggest measures for their improvement, aligning them to global best practices and thus making them an effective tool for fostering ISID.  

The diagnostic studies consider the economic policy priorities of the governments, as well as global and regional factors that affect their development trajectories. They further highlight the main features of zones and their performance, taking into account the zone development phase, and suggest recommendations to improve their cost-effectiveness.

The purpose of the diagnostic studies was to identify critical issues, formulate guidelines and recommend pathways to improve the decision-making process for the creation and operation of new zones; and enhance the role and effectiveness of existing zones, or redefine zones’ functions to boost their potential to promote economic and social development in their regions or areas.