The President of Uzbekistan outlined the priorities of regional cooperation within the framework of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia

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On November 24, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the first summit of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in Baku.

The event, chaired by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, was attended by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Khodjamyrat Geldimyradov, Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commission for Europe Tatiana Molchan and UNESCAP Armida Alisjabana, as well as honorary guests – Prime Ministers Viktor Orban of Hungary and Irakli Garibashvili of Georgia, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasim Al-Budaiwi.

At the beginning of his speech, the head of our state sincerely congratulated all participants of the event on the 25th anniversary of the Program, which was established by the Tashkent Declaration in 1998, as well as the adoption of a separate resolution of the UN General Assembly dedicated to this significant date.

The leader of Uzbekistan highlighted the fruitful chairmanship of Azerbaijan in SPECA, during which regional cooperation within the framework of the Program has reached a qualitatively new level.

The President stressed that over the past period SPECA has demonstrated its relevance as an effective mechanism of regional partnership in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Within the framework of the Program, more than 400 projects were implemented to expand practical cooperation in the fields of trade, communications, transport and logistics, digitalization, energy, water resources, ecology, gender equality and others, strategies for trade facilitation and innovative development were adopted.

The strengthening of the atmosphere of good-neighborliness and trust in recent years, the deepening of integration processes in Central Asia were noted with satisfaction.

– Today, with the countries of the region, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Hungary, we are implementing major programs in the field of industrial cooperation and infrastructure. Joint investment companies have been established, project financing mechanisms have been established. Modern trade and logistics centers and special economic zones are being created in the border territories," the President noted.

Drawing attention to the current challenges and threats faced by the countries of the region in the context of global geopolitical instability, the leader of Uzbekistan outlined a number of practical initiatives to further strengthen regional cooperation within SPECA.

In order to turn the Program into a more effective regional platform for expanding economic cooperation, the need was noted for radically improving the effectiveness of the working groups in the main areas of partnership, strengthening the institutional foundations of the Program.

It is proposed to develop the SPECA–2030 Development Concept together with experts from the UN Economic Commission for Europe and ESCAP.

In order to stimulate intraregional trade, the Head of our state noted the expediency of preparing a Joint Action Plan providing for the introduction of world-leading experience and practices to eliminate existing barriers and harmonize measures of technical regulation of export-import operations.

The adoption of such measures, according to the leader of Uzbekistan, will allow to increase the trade turnover in the SPECA region from the current 52 billion dollars to 100 billion by 2030, the share of industrial products in its structure is 70 percent.

The importance of creating and launching the SPECA Trust Fund next year to support major projects in the fields of green economy, innovation, high technology, logistics, alternative energy, smart agriculture, and the creation of modern social infrastructure was emphasized.

– The Fund should actively work with international development institutions, attract financial resources and grant funds to priority projects and programs on the most favorable terms. Uzbekistan is also ready to make a financial contribution to the formation of the fund," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Speaking about the development of interconnected transport corridors, the President of our country noted the need to fully implement the roadmap adopted during the summit on digitalization of the data exchange process within the Trans-Caspian Multimodal Corridor.

A proposal was made to hold an international forum "Digital Transport Corridors" in Uzbekistan next year.

The intention was also expressed, together with specialized UN institutions, to actively promote major projects to strengthen transport connectivity in the region.

The leader of Uzbekistan proposed to create a special high-level working group on food security within SPECA and hold its first meeting next year in Samarkand.

"The agenda of the event will focus on the development of cooperative ties between leading agro–industrial enterprises, the creation of value chains, the promotion of scientific and technological exchanges and the introduction of advanced resource-saving solutions, the use of express corridors," the head of our state said.

Taking into account the interconnectedness of the spheres of water resources, energy, ecology and agriculture, the importance of adopting a comprehensive new SPECA concept document – a multilateral "Green Strategy" was emphasized.

According to UN research, due to water scarcity, the countries of the region lose about $ 2 billion annually. In the future, with the intensification of such a negative process, the absence of a comprehensive solution to problems, the indicator of water supply per capita may decrease by 25 percent, and yields – by 40 percent, the President noted.

The head of our state paid special attention to the issues of ensuring gender equality, the involvement of women in entrepreneurial activity.

In order to continuously and systematically stimulate active initiatives and specific plans within the framework of the Program, it is proposed to create a Council of SPECA Businesswomen.

In addition, the President announced the initiative to award within the framework of the Council the international award "Recognition of SPECA" to women who make a great contribution to the prosperity and economic development of the countries of the region.

Addressing colleagues, the leadership of the Economic Commission for Europe and ESCAP, the leader of Uzbekistan called for the establishment of working contacts and the restoration of cooperation with Afghanistan within the framework of SPECA.

– We cannot allow Afghanistan to be left alone with its problems. Without establishing an international dialogue with the current government, it will be impossible to achieve any positive result," he said.

The leader of our country expressed special gratitude to all participants for supporting the historic decision taken two days ago in Paris to hold a session of the UNESCO General Assembly in 2025 for the first time in Central Asia – ancient Samarkand.

At the end of his speech, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed Uzbekistan's commitment to multilateral partnership within the framework of the SPECA Regional Program in the name of ensuring sustainable development and well-being of the peoples of the region.