Context
The 2024 SPECA Economic Forum will provide a platform for high-level policy dialogue on green economic development in the SPECA participating States. It will allow the participants to exchange ideas and build networks, as well as a space for multi-disciplinary dialogue on green growth and sustainable development. The Forum will identify remaining knowledge gaps and promote new initiatives to effectively address them and discuss policy tools and best practices that respond to their specific country circumstances. It will lead to further collaboration between SPECA participating States, other ESCAP and UNECE member States, international organizations, international financial institutions and donors on green and inclusive sustainable development.
The Forum will focus on an integrated approach towards harmonization of economic growth with environmental sustainability, while improving eco-efficiency towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and a prosperous future of the SPECA region.
United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)
The objectives of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) are to facilitate economic cooperation in the SPECA region, integration of the SPECA participating States into the world economy and to provide a platform for cross-border cooperation for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The SPECA participating States are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) jointly provide overall support to the Programme.
As the Chair country of SPECA in 2024, Tajikistan in cooperation with ESCAP and UNECE is organizing the 2024 SPECA Economic Forum on 26-27 November 2024 in Dushanbe. Tajikistan aims to raise the profile of SPECA by facilitating the integration of SPECA participating States into European and Asian markets and enhancing intra-regional cooperation.
Objectives
The objectives of the 2024 SPECA Economic Forum are:
• To discuss potential opportunities for enhanced regional cooperation to support green development in the SPECA region.
• To encourage knowledge sharing, experiences and lessons learned among government officials of SPECA participating States and relevant stakeholders with regard to policies, strategies, and initiatives to: (i) promote socioeconomic security and resilience; (ii) facilitate sustainable economic transformation and green development; (iii) increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; (iv) develop environmentally sustainable, efficient, resilient and inclusive transport networks and mobility; (v) foster innovation and technology for SDGs, disaster risk reduction and facilitate digital transformation processes in the SPECA participating States.
• To enhance knowledge of policymakers of SPECA participating States to accelerate actions towards achieving gender equality and women’s participation in all areas of socioeconomic activities.
• To strengthen cooperation between SPECA participating States, international organizations, and other stakeholders on green development in the SPECA region.
• To enhance capacity of policymakers of SPECA participating States to align national development strategies with objectives of international agendas, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Outcome
The 2024 SPECA Economic Forum will discuss and identify the opportunities for regional cooperation to support green development in the SPECA region. It aims to support implementation of internationally agreed goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The conclusions and recommendations emerging from the 2024 SPECA Economic Forum will feed into the outcome document “Dushanbe Declaration” which will be submitted for adoption to the 19th session of the SPECA Governing Council.