On April 05, 2023, in Istanbul (Republic of Türkiye), TRACECA took part in the ITF event on Project Launch "Enhancing Regional Freight Connectivity for Central Asia: Sustainably bridging the gaps with physical and soft measures"

The event gathers representatives of state bodies and experts from the regional transport sector in each of the six countries studied: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as key stakeholders such as AIIB, BSEC, EBRD, IRU, OECD, TRACECA, UNDP and the World Bank.

This project aims to assess the capacity of large-scale transport infrastructure programmes in the Central Asia region to improve connectivity and reduce environmental costs, as well as to address specific problems of Central Asia, such as connectivity gaps due to the high cost of being landlocked and restrictions/disruptions caused by wars and conflicts in region’s neighbouring countries.

During his speech, the Secretary General of the PS IGC TRACECA, Mr. A.A. Assavbayev noted that the harmonization of infrastructure, including soft infrastructure plays a crucial role in the functioning of any transport corridor. TRACECA initiatives can make a significant contribution to the further development of transportation across the territories of not only Central Asian countries, but also all countries of the TRACECA corridor.

"The TRACECA corridor still has a sufficient reserve of capacity and now the countries are actively working to improve the efficiency of logistics processes. For a promising cargo flow, it is important to develop the capacity in a coordinated manner to exclude infrastructure restrictions in the future. We are ready to cooperate to ensure greater and more effective connectivity in the region within the framework of the 4-year OECD programme "Sustainable Infrastructure Programme in Asia", added Mr. A.A. Assavbayev, TRACECA Secretary General.

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The ITF is leading the transport-related work of the “Sustainable Infrastructure Programme in Asia” (SIPA), a four-year programme (2021-2025) led by the OECD to encourage the transition towards cleaner energy, transport and industrial systems in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. The SIPA programme aims to better align the region’s infrastructure investment during the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.