The United Nations Headquarters has served as a venue for a momentous side-event on 22 September 2023 titled "The United Nations, CICA and Regional Organizations: Global Partnership in Support of the SDGs." This event, organized by the Kazakh Chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the CICA Secretariat, marked another pivotal milestone in the long-standing and multifaceted cooperation between the UN and CICA, and was aimed at building synergies between the two organizations in their work on promotion of sustainable development.
The event was hosted by Ambassador Mr. Akan Rakhmetullin, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, and moderated by CICA Secretary General Ambassador Mr. Kairat Sarybay. Key-note speakers were high-level UN officials Mr. Haoliang Xu, Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP; Ms. Armida S. Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN ESCAP; and Ms. Rola A.A. H. Dashti, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN ESCWA.
In his opening address, CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay underscored the role of CICA in promoting peace, cooperation, security and development across Asia. He presented CICA's contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its confidence-building activities in five dimensions encompassing among other areas economic cooperation, human rights, environmental protection and addressing global challenges. He also highlighted CICA's extensive engagement with various UN agencies.
Ambassador Kairat Sarybay briefed the audience about the ongoing process of CICA's transformation into a regional international organization launched at the Sixth CICA Summit in 2022. He spotlighted President of Kazakhstan Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visionary initiative to host the CICA High-level Environmental Conference in 2024 in Astana, symbolizing CICA's unwavering dedication to environmental protection and sustainable development. Ambassador Sarybay also lauded the Kazakh Chairmanship's forward-looking initiative to establish a CICA Council on Sustainable Connectivity.
In closing, Secretary General Kairat Sarybay stressed the profound significance of joining efforts of the UN and regional organizations in attaining the SDGs of a renewed commitment to collaboration and global partnerships for a more sustainable and equitable future for Asia and beyond.
Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin highlighted the dynamic synergy between the UN system and regional organizations, underscoring the imperative need to accelerate cooperation towards achieving SDGs and overcoming the financial and capacity-building challenges faced by UN Member States. “CICA, representing 28 Member States across Asia, aligns its confidence-building measures with SDGs, thereby contributing significantly to peace and security in the region”, - stated Ambassador Rakhmetullin.
Mr. Haoliang Xu from UNDP appreciated the timely organization of the side-event back-to-back with the SDG Summit. He emphasized the paramount importance of global partnerships in light of the SDGs' current progress. Mr. Xu provided insights into UNDP's extensive partnerships with regional organizations worldwide for peace, security and development. He expressed deep appreciation of CICA's role as a vital pan-Asian organization and UNDP's readiness to collaborate in four out of five CICA dimensions: economic, environmental, human and new challenges and threats. Mr. Xu warmly welcomed the initiative to host the CICA high-level environmental conference in 2024 in Astana.
UN-USG Ms. Armida S. Alisjahbana lauded the ongoing cooperation between CICA and ESCAP. She emphasized the core goal of the global partnership between the UN and regional organizations, along with key stakeholders in Asia, to enhance resilience across the region through fortifying the economies and confronting climate change, natural disasters, pandemics and other challenges. She also underscored the importance of enhancing connectivity, transport routes, energy security and digitalization, as well building inclusive societies and empowering the youth.
UN-USG Ms. Rola A.A.H. Dashti highlighted that ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS), long-standing regional partners, have initiated Arab Vision 2045 which fosters collaboration in the Arab world across six pillars: security, justice, innovation, prosperity, diversity and cultural renewal. The Vision aims to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Ms. Dashti also introduced the Arab Digital Agenda 2023-2033 as another remarkable outcome of ESCWA-LAS cooperation. This agenda, adopted at the level of Heads of States, serves as a long-term framework of action with 35 strategic goals encompassing various facets of digital development and promotes regional integration around common aspirations, goals, targets and indicators.
Overall, this UN-CICA side-event underscored the importance of collaboration between the United Nations, CICA and regional organizations in advancing the global agenda for sustainable development and peace and served as a useful practical means for ensuring complementarity of sub-regional and global efforts in advancing SDGs.
New York, NY – 22 September 2023
For information:
The United Nations enjoys an observer status at CICA since 2002, and CICA was granted an observer status at the UN General Assembly through Resolution A/RES/62/77 on 6 December 2007. This reciprocal observer status serves as a formal basis for the cooperative relationship between CICA and the United Nations family.
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Akbota Batyrkhan
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Email: a.batyrkhan@s-cica.org
Phone number: +7 (777) 036-26-58
