Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay paid a working visit to Almaty on 5-6 April 2023, where he held a number of substantial meetings with the leadership of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, city and regional administrations, as well as with representatives of UN agencies in Almaty to discuss prospects for the development of cooperation.
As part of his visit to the Al-Farabi KazNU, the Secretary General delivered a lecture for students and faculty members on the history of CICA, the current agenda of the organization and its future prospects in ensuring peace, security and cooperation in Asia. During the lecture, Ambassador Kairat Sarybay paid special attention to the activities of the CICA Youth Council, as well as to the issues of student exchange and volunteering. Moreover, the Secretary General met with Rector of the University Zhanseit Tuimebayev and discussed the establishment of a Partnership Network of the Leading Universities of CICA Member States and the University’s participation in future CICA projects.
Ambassador Kairat Sarybay met with UN Resident Coordinator Michaela Friberg-Storey and representatives of UN agencies in Kazakhstan, including the ESCAP Subregional Office for North and Central Asia, the International Organization for Migration, the Population Fund, the Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Department of Global Communications, etc. Kairat Sarybay informed them about the current activities of CICA, as well as about the implementation of the priorities of the Kazakh Chairmanship for 2023-2024. The Resident Coordinator presented to the Secretary General the work carried out by UN agencies in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and shared her vision of specific areas of cooperation with CICA to strengthen peace and security in Asia.
As part of the visit, the Secretary General met with Akim of Almaty Yerbolat Dossayev and elaborated on the activities of the CICA Business Council and Business Forum, the current agenda of their forthcoming meetings, including issues of green finance, food security and renewable energy. The parties discussed the prospects of holding meetings of the Business Council and the Business Forum in Almaty with the participation of the local business community and agreed to hold additional consultations on this issue.
The Secretary General also had a fruitful meeting with Deputy Akim of Almaty Region Arslan Dandybayev. The counterparts talked through the preparation for the hiking tour along the route Kolsay – Issyk-Kul scheduled for July this year. It is expected that the heads of the diplomatic corps of the CICA Member States will take an active part in the tour.
