Publications

This report provides summary of a 24 February 2021 workshop titled “Modernizing Sanitary-Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures in CAREC and Use of Digital Certification” organized jointly by the CAREC Institute and the Asian Development Bank.

The CAREC Institute has updated the data for the CAREC Regional Integration Index (CRII) which measures progress in regional economic cooperation and integration among the 11 member countries of the ADB-supported CAREC Program.

In this issue, we provide details of the border-crossing improvement workshop and share several other workshop reports.

This workshop report summarizes contents of the virtual workshop conducted during 14-22 January 2021 by the CAREC Institute and ADB on the topic of border crossing improvement with participation of project managers of the ADB-funded projects and international development partners who shared lessons of border improvement projects and relevant acute topics with other CAREC representatives.

In a new working paper on financial inclusion and fintech in CAREC, our staff discuss financial inclusion as an imperative to achieving economic growth in a globalized market, and as an essential element to accomplish important objectives, such as poverty alleviation, anti-corruption measures, employment, social equity, and wealth redistribution.

Trade helps drive inclusive growth and poverty reduction. Strong value added from trade-related activities contributes to economic growth and development in developing Asia. Global trade helps reallocate capital and labor toward sectors with comparative advantage.

Aid for Trade (AfT) is an integral part of official development assistance to developing countries, which aims to help recipients maximize the benefits of trade liberalization by improving their trade and productive capacities, infrastructure, and institutions.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation(CAREC) Program has established six corridors that crisscross the region, shortening structural distances for people and freight. It continues to chip away at barriers to trade by improving hardware and software elements that require cooperation between neighbors and the region in general.

CAREC 2030 provides the new long-term strategic framework for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program leading to 2030.