Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 26 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova/
Government leaders and researchers from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, together with intergovernmental organizations and financial institutions working in Central Asia will gather in Bangkok on 27-28 November for the 2012 SPECA (United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia) Economic Forum, United Nations Economic Commission's for Europe press service reported.
Under the theme "Strengthening Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Central Asia by Sharing the Asian Experience", the 2012 SPECA Economic Forum aims to learn from the successes and challenges of regional economic integration in similar blocs, particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
The event, convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will discuss ways to harness regional integration to drive the post-2015 global development agenda in the countries of Central Asia.
On the eve of the Forum, on 26 November, the Seventh Session of the SPECA Project Working Group on Trade will be dedicated to "Capacity-Building for Evidence-based Trade and Investment Policymaking". The meeting will discuss in particular the "Challenges to the development of regional trade and investment" in SPECA countries, and review the Implementation of the Baku Ministerial Declaration on Aid for Trade. Presentations of concepts and methodologies for trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation will also be provided.