An informal meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was held in New York on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly session.
The ministers endorsed the Road Map for CICA Transformation outlining eight specific areas of reforms aimed at strengthening this pan-Asian organization of 28 Member States and adapting CICA to a new global role of Asia. The transformation process was launched by the decision of the Sixth CICA Summit in Astana in October 2022, the year of the 30th anniversary of the initiative to convene this organization put forward by Kazakhstan at the UN in 1992.
The road map serves as a structured agenda and guiding document for the gradual transformation process with an open-ended and non-exhaustive list of areas for discussion and decision-making, such as elaborating a charter of the organization, exploring new areas of cooperation within CICA, budget reform and human resources management reform, and other areas.
“Our organization is a unique pan-Asian intergovernmental forum with the widest geographical coverage and broadest agenda. This makes it the most appropriate platform to consolidate our nations for the sake of peace, cooperation, security and development. I am confident that through joint efforts we will preserve and strengthen the consolidating spirit of CICA and increase the international authority and attractiveness of our organization on the world stage,” stated the Chair of the ministerial meeting, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu.
CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay reported to the Ministerial Council that the CICA Secretariat has implemented the tasks set by the CICA Summit. As entrusted by the CICA Chairmanship of Kazakhstan, the Secretariat held broad consultations with Member States, collected their views and developed proposals on specific transformation-related measures under the road map for future deliberations of the Member States.
The CICA Ministerial Council also adopted the Statement on Promoting Volunteerism for Sustainable Development, which gives strong political impulse to a brand new direction for CICA activities to support and promote active engagement of citizens in volunteering, especially among the youth.
Members of the Ministerial Council held an extensive exchange of views on the prospects for further institutional development of CICA and welcomed the first practical steps on the path of CICA transformation. The ministers also discussed other key issues on CICA’s current agenda and took the decision on the appointment of the next CICA Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Zhang Ling from China.
* The Ministerial Council is the second highest governing body of CICA after the Summit, responsible for the implementation of Summit decisions, considering current CICA activities and all issues submitted to it by the CICA Senior Officials Committee, carrying out high-level consultations and taking decisions on key issues on CICA agenda.
