New York, 15-18 July 2024 – CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay attended the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. During his visit, Ambassador Sarybay engaged in several high-level meetings with UN officials.
In his meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General and High-level Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Moratinos, Ambassador Sarybay discussed the synergies between the CICA Youth Council and the initiatives of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, the current and incoming CICA Chairs, in promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
Ambassador Sarybay also updated UN Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua on the latest CICA developments, including preparations for the CICA Ministerial Council meeting to be held alongside COP29 on 11 November 2024 in Baku. The two exchanged views on key international development issues, including youth empowerment and SMEs promotion.
During his meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UNDP Haoliang Xu, collaborative efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, youth leadership, and human development in Asia were considered. A notable outcome of these bilateral discussions was the arrangement of UNDP capacity-building workshops in project management for the CICA Secretariat’s staff.
Enhancing multilateralism in Asia was the main topic of discussion with UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, Khalid Khiari. The talks addressed current regional and global challenges, exploring avenues for prevention, development projects, and the implementation of CICA confidence-building measures.
Ambassador Sarybay met with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco following an online meeting with UN Resident Coordinators operating in CICA Member States in January 2024, and a meeting with David McLachlan-Karr, Regional Director for Asia-Pacific of the UN Development Coordination Office, in April 2024 in Bangkok. They discussed joint efforts between CICA and the UN at regional and subregional levels.
Ambassador Sarybay also met with Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, to explore collaboration avenues between the CICA Fund and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in addressing humanitarian aid needs in Asia. The meeting highlighted the first voluntary contribution to the CICA Fund made by Iraq, and both parties agreed to establish efficient communication channels.
Discussions with Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, Mauro Miedico, focused on commencing practical cooperation between CICA and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism through joint projects on countering terrorism. This includes initiatives on financing, AI analysis of passenger data, and preventing the proliferation of SALW.
Ambassador Sarybay paid a courtesy visit to the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan, where they discussed topical issues on the UN agenda and collaboration perspectives to raise CICA’s profile within the UN system during Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship for the 2024-2026 biennium.
Ambassador Sarybay delivered remarks on CICA’s contribution to regional partnerships supporting the SDGs at a side event organised by the Eurasian Economic Commission during the HLPF. He highlighted the benefits of regional organisations' interaction for connectivity and development in Asia and beyond.
