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

The event, chaired by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilhom Aliyev, was attended by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev,  President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Khojamirat Geldimiradov, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Tatyana Molchan and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)  Armida Alisjabana, as well as honored guests - Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi.

In his address, the Head of state sincerely congratulated all participants on the 25th anniversary of the Programme established by the Tashkent Declaration in 1998 and the adoption of a special resolution of the UN General Assembly dedicated to this significant date.

The leader of Uzbekistan emphasized that under the effective chairmanship of Azerbaijan, regional cooperation within the framework of SPECA has reached a completely new level.

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

As part of the program, more than 400 projects were implemented to enhance practical cooperation in trade, communication, transport and logistics, digitization, energy, water resources, ecology, gender, and others.  Strategies for trade facilitation and innovative development were also adopted.

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

“We are currently implementing large-scale industrial cooperation and infrastructure programs with the countries of Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Hungary. We have established joint investment companies and created project financing mechanisms. Modern trade and logistics centers and special economic zones are being built in the border areas”, the President said.

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 several practical initiatives to further strengthen regional cooperation within the framework of SPECA.

In order to turn the Programme into a more effective regional platform for the expansion of economic cooperation, the need to radically improve the efficiency of the working groups on the main areas of partnership and strengthen the institutional foundations of the Programme was noted.

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

In order to stimulate intraregional trade, the Head of state emphasized the expediency of developing a Joint Action Plan, which introduces world-leading experience and practices in eliminating existing barriers and harmonizing measures for technical regulation of export-import operations.

According to the President of Uzbekistan, the adoption of these measures will make it possible to increase trade turnover in the SPECA region from the current 52 billion dollars to 100 billion dollars by 2030, with the share of industrial products in its structure at 70 percent.

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

“The Fund must 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 necessity to fully implement the Road Map adopted during the summit on the digitalization of the data exchange process within the Trans-Caspian multimodal corridor.

The initiative to hold the Digital Transport Routes International Forum in Uzbekistan next year was proposed.

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

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

“The main agenda of the event will be the development of cooperative relations between leading agro-industrial enterprises, the creation of value chains, the stimulation of scientific and technological exchanges and the introduction of advanced resource-saving solutions, and the launch of express corridors”, the Head of state said.

Considering the interconnectivity and interrelation of the water, energy, environment, and agriculture spheres, the importance of adopting a comprehensive new SPECA conceptual document - the Multilateral Green Strategy, was emphasized.

According to UN research, the region's countries lose about 2 billion dollars annually due to water scarcity. In the future, if this process intensifies and there is no comprehensive solution to the problems, the indicator of water supply per capita may decrease by 25 percent and crop yields by 40 percent, the President noted.

The Head of our state paid special attention to the issues of ensuring gender equality and involving women in entrepreneurship.

In this regard, it was proposed to establish the SPECA Business Women Council to constantly and systematically encourage active initiatives and specific plans.

In addition, the President announced an initiative to award women with the international prize - “SPECA Recognition”, who contribute significantly to the prosperity and economic development of the region’s countries within the framework of the Council.

Addressing his colleagues, the leadership of the Economic Commission for Europe and ESCAP, the Leader of Uzbekistan called for establishing working relations and restoring cooperation with Afghanistan within the framework of SPECA.

“Afghanistan must not be left alone to face its problems. If international dialogue is not established with the current government, it will be impossible to achieve any positive result”, the President noted.

The Leader of our country expressed special gratitude to all participants for supporting the historic decision made two days ago in Paris to hold the UNESCO General Assembly session in Central Asia - in the ancient city of Samarkand in 2025.

Following his speech, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s commitment to multilateral partnership within the framework of the SPECA Regional Programme to ensure the sustainable development and well-being of the people.