News

China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Environmental Cooperation hosted the Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Experience Exchange Seminar on Biodiversity Conservation on 17-18 November 2020.

the CAREC Institute Chief Economist Dr. Hans Holzhacker and Deputy Director Two Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev presented at the webinar which was organized in the framework of the program titled “water as a driver of sustainable recovery: economic, institutional and strategic aspects of water resources management in Central Asia,” supported by Blue Peace of Central Asia (BPCA) of Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), and jointly organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Center for Central Asia Research of Corvinus University Budapest (CUB) and the Central Asian Regional Environmental Center.

On 27 October 2020, the CAREC Institute Economist Kamalbek Karymshakov chaired the session titled “Effect of External Factors on Macroeconomic Performance” at the 6th annual Life-in-Kyrgyzstan conference that took place during 27-30 October 2020 in an online format.

On 20 October 2020, Deputy Director Two of the CAREC Institute Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev moderated an online webinar titled “The Future of the Caspian Sea - Economy or Ecology? The Crucial Role of the Caspian Sea for the Country's Development.”

The CAREC senior officials convened online on 20 October 2020 to deliberate on the overall implementation progress of the CAREC 2030 strategy, CAREC program results framework, CAREC tourism strategy 2030, and CAREC gender strategy 2030 for presentation of the documents for endorsement at the 19th CAREC Ministerial on 7 December 2020.

CAREC transport sector senior officials convened online on 19 October 2020 to discuss progress and updates on transport projects, cross-border procedures, also share observations about knowledge products relevant to their sector.

CAREC energy sector coordination committee (ESCC) was hosted remotely by the ADB on 19 October 2020 to discuss priorities for regional energy sector and progress on the ESCC workplan 2020-2022, new working group structure, and findings made in a research on financial savings that can be achieved through renewable energy integration into the grid.

On 9 October 2020, the CAREC Institute participated in a round table on the topic of global trends in logistics and digital technologies amid COVID-19 pandemic organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, with support from KazAtiSo Academy, the “Partnership for Transport and Logistics of the Central,” “Logistics Project Center,” and the private sector.

On 3 October 2020, our Chief Economist Dr. Holzhacker participated in Central Asia Nobel Fest online session titled INPOLICY TALKS: THE PANDEMIC AND A WAY FORWARD FOR CENTRAL ASIA AND CAUCASUS, chaired by Johannes Linn, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and former Vice President at the World Bank, with participation of Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Advisor at EBRD and former Prime Minister of Georgia (2015-2018); and Lyaziza Sabyrova, Principal Regional Economist at ADB.

On 23 September 2020, Deputy Director Two of the CAREC Institute Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev was invited to make a presentation on Digital CAREC at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2020 which focused on accelerating digital investment and trade.

Deputy Director One of the CAREC Institute Mr. Liang Ziqian was invited to make a presentation at the World Rural Revitalization Conference in Shanxi, the PRC, on 22 September 2020.

On 18 September 2020, the CAREC Institute Chief Economist Dr. Holzhacker participated in the innovation summit organized by Pakistan Institute of Research Promotion, supported by Pakistan Council of Science and Technology, Pakistan Science Foundation, University of Management and Technology of Pakistan, and other partners.

On 24 August 2020, the CAREC Institute, represented by Director Syed Shakeel Shah, and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), represented by Dr. Durre Nayab, Head of Research PIDE, acting on behalf of Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haq, Vice Chancellor PIDE, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Islamabad.

On 17 June 2020, the CAREC Institute delegation led by Deputy Director One Mr. Liang Ziqian held a consultation meeting with the Research Center of Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RECEECA) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Urumqi, the PRC.

On 16 June 2020, CAREC national focal points (NFPs) held a virtual meeting to discuss the economic impact of and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. Progress of trade, transport, energy, tourism, and economic corridor development under CAREC was reviewed. Necessary adjustments to the CAREC calendar of events were discussed.

The seminar aims to conclude with an outcome document that outlined key discussions, recommendations, and follow up actions.

The CAREC Institute and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 27 May 2020 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the PRC.