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.

Preparation of the refined Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy (TTFS 2020) for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program commenced in November 2012. The TTFS 2020 was developed through a comprehensive review of the original TTFS, progress made from 2008 to date, and extensive country consultations. These consultations included field visits to all 10 CAREC countries; engaging with development partners, potential private sector stakeholders, freight forwarders’ associations, and logistics services providers; and meetings with members of the CAREC Transport Sector Coordinating Committee (TSCC) and Customs Cooperation Committee (CCC).

This trade policy agenda is based on numerous recent studies that indicate that there are substantial potential gains to economies that lower trade costs.

The ADB Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration focuses on topics relating to regional cooperation and integration in the areas of infrastructure and software, trade and investment, money and finance, and regional public goods.