Parliament ratified Agreement on United Nations ESCAP office in Almaty

During the plenary session chaired by head Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan has adopted the Law "On ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United Nations on administrative and financial procedures for the Subregional Office for North and Central Asia".

"The creation of the ESCAP Subregional Office in Almaty was sanctioned by the resolution of the UN General Assembly on the 24th of December in 2008. By the Decree of the Government of Kazakhstan dated May 4, 2011, the Framework Agreement between Kazakhstan and the United Nations on the establishment of the ESCAP office was approved. The 8th Article of this Agreement provided for the conclusion of a separate international treaty on administrative and financial procedures for the ESCAP Subregional Office. In accordance with the Agreement on administrative and financial procedures, the Kazakhstan party provides ESCAP with the office space and also allocates an annual sum in the amount of 100 thousand dollars to cover the costs of operating the office space, as well as expenditures for program activities", Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov said presenting the bill during the plenary session of the Senate.

According to him, this Agreement is of political importance. Its ratification will allow Kazakhstan to emphasize its commitment to the goals and objectives of ESCAP, to social and economic interaction with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The subregional office fits into the concept of the UN hub on multilateral diplomacy in Almaty, established at the initiative of the Head of State. The hub is designed to enhance the effectiveness of the UN and its programs in Central Asia.

ESCAP, along with other UN agencies, supported Kazakhstan's initiative to create an international center for "green" technologies and investment projects as a heritage of EXPO-2017, actively develops the regional cooperation in the field of the environmental protection, transport, training of personnel in statistics and the implementation of the sustainable development goals of the UN.

The Minister noted that Kazakhstan and ESCAP have unrealized reserves of interaction. This is especially important in the light of the implementation of the new Strategy "Third Modernization of Kazakhstan", as well as the provisions of the President's Address of 2018 regarding the development of country's transit and transport potential. In this context, the revival of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia - SPECA remains urgent for Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is ready jointly with the ESCAP secretariat to implement a set of measures to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SPECA in 2018, including the holding of an economic SPECA forum and the 13th session of the SPECA Governing Council tentatively in October or November this year in Astana or Almaty.

Answering the questions of the deputies, K. Abdrakhmanov explained that ESCAP will annually report on the use of funds allocated by Kazakhstan, both in mandatory and voluntary contributions.

For reference: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: Subregional Office for North and Central Asia (NCA) is the subregional platform to build and strengthen multilateral partnerships and intergovernmental cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development and integration in North and Central Asia. The NCA Office strengthens the effective and efficient delivery of various UN development-related mandates in the subregion, and works with nine member States of ESCAP in the subregion, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan participates in the activities of NCA as a member of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).

The United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) aims to strengthen sub-regional cooperation in Central Asia and its integration into the world economy.

Saltanat Suraganova