The 18th session of the Governing Council of the UN Special Program for Central Asian Countries (SPECA) concluded successfully on November 23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the program's establishment, brought together high-level representatives from Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Among the prominent attendees was Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan. In his opening remarks, Minister Kudratov highlighted the significance of collaborative initiatives within SPECA, spanning trade, transport, energy, water resources, innovation, technology, ecology, and gender equality. Stressing the importance of these programs, he underlined their role in fostering regional cooperation and achieving sustainable development goals.
The minister underscored several key areas of focus, including the improvement of customs administration, the digitization and expansion of logistics processes, the establishment of standardization and certification laboratories, and the promotion of regional e-commerce platforms. Recognizing the need for a stable regional transit system, Kudratov emphasized the importance of flexible tariff policies and welcomed the adoption of a "Roadmap" for the digitization of multimodal data exchange along transport corridors using UN standards.
Cooperation in food safety and agriculture was emphasized, with a call to prevent increases in food product prices. Kudratov proposed additional incentive measures for the adoption of "green" and "resource-saving" technologies and the simplification of transportation rules for food and agricultural products.
Water resource management took center stage, with an emphasis on rational use, the introduction of water-saving technologies, and the creation of a unified information system for online data exchange. Participants highlighted the necessity to modernize irrigation systems and infrastructure for collecting and storing water.
Discussions also revolved around the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in reducing poverty, ensuring family strength, legal protection, and the well-being of women, and promoting gender equality. Encouragingly, the share of women in public administration has reached 35%, and the percentage of girls admitted to higher education institutions in 2022 is expected to be 49%.
The session concluded with a commitment from all participants to continue collaborative efforts toward achieving SPECA's goals. Decisions were made by the SPECA Board of Directors, and the program's work plan for 2024-2025 was approved. Notably, there was a unanimous acknowledgment of the importance of implementing a multi-partnership trust fund under the UN's auspices to attract financial support for promising projects in SPECA countries.
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