UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)

The activities of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in 2008 were based on the strategy elaborated and approved by the governing bodies (Governing Council and Coordinating Committee) of the Programme. The third meeting of the Governing Council (Moscow, 20 October 2008) reviewed the implementation of the 2008-2009 SPECA Work Programme, expressing satisfaction with the increasing number of activities implemented within the framework of the six Project Working Groups and the steady growth of budgetary and extrabudgetary funding available for project implementation.

The Governing Council invited the Executive Secretaries of UNECE and UNESCAP to undertake joint visits to SPECA capitals to discuss the further strengthening of the Programme, as initiated by the United Nations Secretary-General in his letter of 5 March 2008 to the Presidents of SPECA member countries. It welcomed the continued progress in establishing regular and substantial coordination and cooperation between SPECA and other programmes and organizations supporting regional economic cooperation in Central Asia, in particular the annual interagency coordination meetings with the participation of UNDP and the Asian Development Bank on behalf of the CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) Group, Eurasian Economic Community, Economic Cooperation Organization and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Governing Council took note with appreciation of the information provided by the Secretariats of UNECE and UNESCAP on the joint UNECE/UNESCAP SPECA office, as proposed in the Secretary-General’s report on “Improving the effective and efficient delivery of the mandates of development related activities and revised estimates relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009”.

The third session of the SPECA Economic Forum (Moscow, 20 October 2008) continued the discussion on the role of strengthened regional economic cooperation in a positive investment climate. Building on the results of the Almaty and Berlin sessions of the Economic Forum, which focused on trade and investment links between Central Asia on the one hand, and Asia and the EU on the other, the Moscow session discussed how improved regional cooperation could facilitate investment by the Russian Federation in areas such as transport, water and energy, as well as investment, which helps the diversification of the economies of the region. Participants of the Economic Forum highlighted the need for developing a regional strategy to deal with the effects of the global financial crisis: strengthened regional cooperation should play a key role in such a strategy.

Reacting to the compound food-water-energy crisis in Central Asia, SPECA strengthened its work in regional water resources management. UNECE and the Government of Germany co organized the Berlin Conference “Water Unites” and its follow-up, the International Conference Water Unites – Strengthening Cooperation on Regional Water Management in Central Asia, together with UNDP and the Executive Committee for the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

All six SPECA Project Working Groups met in 2008, reviewed project implementation and where appropriate formulated new project proposals. The inaugural session of the new Project Working Group on Knowledge-based Development (formerly on ICT for Development) took take place in November in Baku, Azerbaijan.

While providing support to Central Asian countries under SPECA, UNECE combines its in-house technical expertise with its ability to carry out normative, analytical, and technical cooperation functions as well as to provide a neutral umbrella for cross-sectoral, interministerial policy discussions and regular policy-business-research dialogues. In particular, during the period under review, UNECE technical assistance to SPECA member countries concentrated, among others, on the following activities:

(i) strengthening the capacity to implement UNECE conventions, standards and recommendations (in such areas as environment, trade, transport and statistics);

(ii) improving national environmental governance and environmental information through the environmental performance reviews, and strengthening the capacity for transboundary water cooperation and management; enhancing energy security and shifting towards a sustainable development path through improved energy efficiency;

(iii) building the environment for “Single Window” implementation, and strengthening national trade facilitation institutions, including the capacity for WTO accession negotiations (trade);

(iv) strengthening the national capacity to monitor demographic, social and economic progress towards the implementation of goals set out in the United Nations Millennium Declaration (statistics);

(v) assisting in the development of transport infrastructure and border crossing facilitation (transport);

(vi) improving ICT policymaking and the use of Public-Private Partnerships for infrastructure development and the provision of social services; and

(vii) promoting gender equality and gender-sensitive economic policies under the MDG framework (gender mainstreaming).

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