New York, September 25, 2024 – The Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ambassador Kairat Sarybay participated in a series of high-level events during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, from 22 to 25 September, 2024.
In a historic first for CICA, Ambassador Sarybay addressed the UN General Assembly from the same rostrum where CICA was first proposed in 1992. His statement during the Summit of the Future on September 22 marked a significant milestone, reflecting CICA’s progress as a pan-Asian intergovernmental forum. Ambassador Sarybay highlighted CICA’s institutional achievements under the Kazakh Chairmanship and the Secretariat’s contributions to the UN’s New Agenda for Peace and the outcome documents of the Summit.
During the Interactive Dialogue on the Digital Future, Ambassador Sarybay emphasized CICA’s advancements in digital development and the proactive approach of its Member States in sharing best practices in digital innovation. He also stressed the importance of preventing the misuse of ICTs for illegal purposes, in alignment with global efforts to promote the responsible use of technology.
On the margins of these events, Ambassador Sarybay held a number of bilateral meetings with high-level representatives from CICA Member States and the UN Secretariat.
Ambassador Sarybay met with Bakhtiyor Saidov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. Their discussion focused on enhancing economic cooperation and strengthening connectivity. They agreed that regular exchanges and robust business ties would contribute to the peace and prosperity of the region.
In a meeting with Dr. Badr Abdelatt, Foreign Minister of Egypt, Ambassador Sarybay expressed deep appreciation for Egypt’s ongoing support of CICA’s transformation. They discussed ways to deepen cooperation in implementing confidence building measures and introduced ideas for joint projects to promote multilingualism.
In a meeting also with H.E. Mr. Nasser Bourita, Foreign Minister of Morocco, Ambassador Sarybay discussed Morocco’s interest in obtaining observer status within CICA. Both parties agreed to continue dialogue to bridge Asia and Africa through multilateralism.
Ambassador Sarybay engaged in discussions with Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA). The conversation centered around the priorities of Azerbaijan’s upcoming CICA Chairmanship in 2025-2026, with a particular focus on activities related to the CICA Business Council.
The CICA Secretary General also met with H.E. Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Counterterrorism, and H.E. Natalia Gherman, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. They discussed CICA’s progress in ongoing implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and agreed on further steps to strengthen cooperation.
In a meeting with Miroslav Jenca, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Central Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Ambassador Sarybay explored opportunities to enhance synergies between CICA and the UN, with the goal of raising CICA’s visibility within the UN system.
Ambassador Sarybay also met with Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, to discuss CICA’s efforts to promote women’s empowerment. They exchanged views on potential future cross-sectoral initiatives aimed at advancing gender equality.
