Fifth CAREC Transport Sector Coordinating Committee Meeting

The Fifth Transport Sector Coordinating Committee Meeting was held on 15-16 March 2006 in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Government of People’s Republic of China hosted the meeting with the support of the Asian Development Bank.

The meeting brought together government officials from participating countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the PRC, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Representatives from multilateral institutions (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the World Bank) participated in the program.

The meeting discussed the potential for harmonization of regional transport regulations and cross-border agreements for roads and the railways, the potential for liberalization of the civil aviation subsector, maintenance and funding of the regional road network, and proposed infrastructure investments and technical assistance in CAREC countries.