Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 23 November, the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov took part in the 18th session of the Governing Council of the UN Special Program for the Countries of Central Asia (SPECA) in Baku (Azerbaijan).

The event was also attended by the heads of relevant ministries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Hungary, as well as the heads of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Laziz Kudratov emphasized the importance of joint programs carried out within the framework of SPECA in the areas of trade, transport, energy, water resources, innovation and technology, ecology and gender equality, emphasizing the significance of the work done for the development of regional partnerships and sustainable development.

The minister noted that it is necessary to intensify cooperation to further increase trade turnover between the countries of the region. In particular, he noted that it is necessary to improve customs administration, digitalization and expansion of logistics processes, the creation of standardization and certification laboratories, as well as the launch of regional e-commerce platforms.

Kudratov called for expanding transport connectivity and creating a sustainable regional transit system using a flexible tariff policy. He supported the implementation of the Road Map for the digitalization of multimodal data exchange along transport corridors using UN standards.

The representative of Uzbekistan noted the importance of deepening cooperation in the field of food security and agriculture, taking measures to prevent rising food prices and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Laziz Kudratov proposed introducing additional incentive measures for the use of “green” and “resource-saving” technologies, simplifying the transportation of food cargo and agricultural products.

The relevance of the rational use of water resources, taking into account the growing load, was noted, with special emphasis on coordinated steps to introduce advanced water-saving technologies, create a unified information system for online data exchange, modernize irrigation systems, develop infrastructure for the collection and storage of mudflow waters, exchange of design experience, construction and operation of hydraulic structures.

The steps taken in Uzbekistan to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, support for gender equality to ensure the strength of families, legal protection and well-being of women, were announced.

The importance of joint work to improve the effectiveness of the Program was emphasized, including the implementation of the initiative to create a multi-partner Trust Fund under the auspices of the UN to attract financial support for promising projects in the SPECA countries.

The event participants exchanged views on priority issues on the agenda, and developed common positions on further strengthening interconnectedness and multifaceted cooperation between the countries of the region.

As a result of the event, the participants confirmed their readiness to continue working together in order to achieve their goals, a number of decisions were adopted by the SPECA Governing Council and the Program Work Plan for 2024–2025 was approved.