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CICA Secretary General takes part in 79th session of ESCAP




The Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ambassador Kairat Sarybay paid a working visit to Bangkok to participate in the 79th session of ESCAP and hold consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

In his address to the session delegates, Mr Sarybay outlined the current activities of CICA, including its Member States' priorities and efforts to tackle pressing issues of environmental sustainability and climate change. He separately mentioned the preparations for the High-level CICA Conference on Environmental Issues, which is planned in Kazakhstan in 2024 at the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The Secretary General gave an interview to the UN Press Service, highlighting the achievements of the Conference in implementing confidence building measures in the environmental dimension, as well as shared CICA's experience of interaction with the world organization, including its individual bodies – the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration. Furthermore, Kairat Sarybay announced a CICA side-event on the margins of the UN General Assembly High-level Week, which would focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the CICA area.

The CICA Secretary General’s visit continued with a meeting with ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Alisjahbana. The two parties had a lively exchange of views on the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation mechanisms for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Kairat Sarybay proposed Armida Alisjahbana to consider establishing practical contacts between the Secretariats of the Conference and the Commission and possibly further formalizing cooperation through a memorandum of understanding. The ESCAP Executive Secretary was invited to address the above-mentioned CICA side event on the margins of the UNGA.

During his visit, the Secretary General also met with Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand Vijavat Isarabhakdi. The parties substantively discussed a wide range of relevant CICA-related issues in the context of implementing the decisions of the Sixth Summit of the Conference. The Thai partners supported in principle the Kazakh Chairmanship's vision of the main directions and stages of the CICA transformation. Mr Isarabhakdi reaffirmed his country's intention to continue implementing specific confidence building measures in the areas of sustainable development, promotion of small and medium enterprises and tourism, and to actively participate in the work of CICA advisory bodies. Bangkok shows a keen interest in the idea of establishing the Council on Sustainable Connectivity within the organization.


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