SPECA aims to make Central Asia an attractive destination for green investment. SPECA Economic Forum participants adopt Dushanbe Declaration Economic Development
Central Asian countries recognized the urgent need for regional cooperation on green development and committed to strengthen cooperation in key sectors, including energy, trade digitalization, investment promotion, water resources and innovation ecosystems.
The Dushanbe Declaration was adopted following the economic forum of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), which was held this week in Tajikistan with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
“SPECA should work to make Central Asia an attractive destination for green investment and stimulate sustainable growth,” said ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.
This year’s forum focused on developing joint actions in the areas of climate, technology and innovation, as well as sustainable transport and energy. Delegates acknowledged that climate change is impacting the region’s economies and ecosystems, and exacerbating problems such as melting glaciers, water shortages and pollution.
“This crisis threatens the whole of Central Asia – a region with rich potential, but also fragile ecosystems, complex water and energy interdependencies and high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change,” said Tatiana Molchan, Executive Secretary of UNECE.