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The United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia

Name of the organization

UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)

General information about the organization
  • Establishment day: 26 th March, 1998.
  • Member States: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan

· The program is coordinated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

  • Purpose: development of cooperation among member states, support of integration of countries and promotion in their joining the world economy.
  • Events: SPECA Governing Council sessions (once a year), Economic Forum (once a year), meetings of working groups
  • Working Groups:

o Water, Energy and Environment

o Statistics

o Sustainable Transport, Transit and Connectivity

o Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development

o Trade

o Gender and SDGs

Information about cooperation between Azerbaijan and the organization

· Our country joined SPECA in 2002;

· In 2006, the 1st session of the SPECA Governing Council and SPECA Economic Forum were held in Baku;

· In 2016, Azerbaijan chaired SPECA: the 11th session of the SPECA Governing Council and Economic Forum was organized in Ganja on 22-23 rd November, 2016 under the co-chairmanship of the Ministry of Economy and UNECE.

· The deputy minister of economy participated in the 16th session of SPECA Governing Council and Economic Forum held in Tashkent on 17-19 th November, 2021

· The deputy minister of economy participated in 17th session of SPECA Governing Council and Economic Forum held in Almaty on 16-18th Novermber, 2022

· On January 1, the chairmanship of SPECA passed to Azerbaijan. During the chairmanship period, on April 17 the Meeting of Ministers of SPECA Participating States was held in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Joint Statement of SPECA Participating States was adopted.

· In November 2023, SPECA week was organized in Baku. Within the framework of the week, under the leadership of the Minister of Economy and the organization of the Ministry of Economy, the meetings of SPECA's Working Groups on Trade, as well as Gender and Sustainable Development Goals, on November 20, SPECA 2023 Economic Forum on November 21-22, on the theme "Transformation of the SPECA region into a global communication hub", On November 23, the 18th meeting of the SPECA Governing Council and the SPECA Summit were held on November 24, organized by the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

· In order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of SPECA Programme in 2023, a relevant resolution üas adopted at the 78th session of UN General Assembly.

· The Deputy Minister of Economy, Samad Bashirli participated in the SPECA ministerial meeting held in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand on April 23th, 2024.

· Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov participated in the next meeting of the SPECA Steering Committee held online on July 22, 2024.

· On September 23, 2024, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UN Participating Organizations (PUNO) and the UN Multipartner Trust Funds Office (MPTFO), and on its basis, the SPECA Multipartner Trust Fund was established.

· The following events were organized by the Ministry of Economy within the framework of COP29 held in Baku in November 2024:

o 14.11.2024, SPECA Climate and Innovation Dialogue Ministerial Meeting. At the Ministerial Meeting, a statement was signed on the establishment of the SPECA Climate and Innovation Dialogue, and the opening of the SPECA Multipartner Trust Fund was announced.

o 20.11.2024, an EBRD Green Cities Leaders Roundtable event was held in the SPECA region, and a Statement of Intent on the SPECA Climate Resilient Smart Cities Forum was signed.

o 20.11.2024, the SPECA Trust Fund was presented.

· On November 26-28, 2024, the SPECA 2024 Economic Forum on "Green Development in the SPECA Region", the 19th session of the SPECA Governing Council, and the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the SPECA Multilateral Trust Fund were held in Dushanbe under the chairmanship of Tajikistan. Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashirli attended the event.

· On December 27, 2024, the Republic of Azerbaijan donated 3.5 million US dollars to the SPECA Multipartner Trust Fund.

· On April 8, 2025, the First Deputy Minister of Economy Elnur Aliyev participated in the ministerial meeting of the SPECA participating states held in Geneva under the chairmanship of Turkmenistan.

· Participation in SPECA working groups of Azerbaijan:

o Water, Energy and Environment (Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ministry of Energy);

o Statistics (State Statistics Committee);

o Sustainable Transport, Transit and Connectivity (Ministry of Digital Development and Transport)

o Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development (Ministry of Digital Development and Transport

o Trade (Ministry of Economy)

o Gender and SDGs (Ministry of Economy, State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs)