10th CAREC Ministerial Conference

The 2011 Ministerial Conference celebrated 10 years of successful collaboration and regional cooperation by the 10 partners of the CAREC Program. At the end of the conference, participants had

• endorsed CAREC’s new strategic framework,  CAREC 2020, that will guide the program over the next 10 years toward expanded trade and increased competitiveness of all CAREC countries;
• endorsed a set of priority regional projects that support the goals of CAREC 2020 to be implemented in all sectors over the next 10 years;
• committed to mainstream the priority regional projects into their respective development plans;
• explored potential financing lines for priority projects;
• approved the CAREC Institute’s interim action plan for 2012 that will prepare a new five-year action plan for the CAREC Institute; and
• celebrated 10 years of fruitful regional cooperation.

The Ministerial Meeting was opened by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Shahin Mustafayev. Then Asian Development Bank President Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda delivered his keynote address.

CAREC 2020, the new strategic road map for the CAREC Program was officially launched and endorsed by each country head of delegation, and by each multilateral institution partner of CAREC.

Deputy Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. David Owen, made a presentation on the economic outlook in CAREC countries.

Ministers then considered items for ministerial endorsement and the Joint Ministerial Statement. Ms. Kori Udovički, United Nations Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, then delivered the Joint Statement of CAREC Multilateral Institution Partners.

The Ministerial Conference formally adopted the Joint Ministerial Statement and was closed by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Shahin Mustafayev.

On the following day, CAREC convened a Development Partners’ Forum that brought together the six CAREC MI partners and senior representatives of donor agencies from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss financing of CAREC projects over the next 10 years.

The heads of CAREC delegations also came together for a Ministerial Retreat facilitated by Asian Development Bank Director General for Central and West Asia, Mr. Juan Miranda, on the topic of what CAREC countries need to do, individually and collectively, to contribute to and benefit from the “Asian century.”