Page 29 - DIVA_1_2021

International

Asia (SPECA), especially in the last couple of
years. How do you see the role of the SPECA
programme in providing a platform to achieve
sustainable development through cross-border
cooperation, especially in the time of the
COVID-19 pandemic?
Uzbekistan believes that SPECA will play an
important role in strengthening the country’s
national potential by promoting sustainable
economic growth and the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals in the
country, attracting investments in improving
the infrastructure and increasing the “On Uzbekistan’s initiative, the
competitiveness of the economy, strengthening United Nations Multi-Partner Human
interconnectivity with the countries of the
region, and expanding regional cooperation Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea
and integration. Region was established.“

Through active participation in SPECA
Uzbekistan could contribute to achieving all
the initiatives it put forward by the President at
the United Nations General Assembly in 2020.

On Uzbekistan’s initiative, the United Nations
Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund
for the Aral Sea Region was established. The
Fund will serve as a base platform for the
international community to provide practical • improvement of the management of water,
assistance to the population living in a stressed energy and environment from a holistic
ecological zone of Aral Sea. approach to resource management, on a
regional or bilateral basis;
Uzbekistan will assume the chairmanship • expansion of transport infrastructure and
of SPECA in 2021, while UNECE will be making Central Asia a transport hub between
coordinating the support for SPECA in 2021, Europe and Asia and between North and
working with the United Nations Economic South Asia, using to their full extent the legal
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific norms and other tools offered by the United
(ESCAP) and the UN Resident Coordinators Nations;
in the SPECA countries. What will be the • facilitation of trade and transit procedures,
priorities and objectives of Uzbekistan’s including digitalization of information
chairmanship of SPECA? flows along multimodal transport corridors,
Uzbekistan is committed to work during its and implementation of the SPECA Trade
Chairmanship to ensure the implementation Facilitation Strategy, WTO Trade Facilitation
of the objectives of the Programme to promote Agreement and the SPECA;
regional economic cooperation and integration • promotion of sustainable trade and the
among the SPECA countries and with the circular economy in the SPECA sub-region;
economies of Europe and Asia, and to enhance • stepping up innovation and technology
regional cooperation for the implementation transfer in the region;
of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • providing gender equality and mainstreaming
In this sense, Uzbekistan will work during its gender in the various areas of work of
Chairmanship on strengthening the regional SPECA;
collaboration in the following areas of work of • promoting investment in the SPECA
SPECA: sub-region. •

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h