BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated $350,000 for a new project in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Georgia, Trend reports.
The project implies reinvigorating regional cooperation in South Caucasus and Central Asia amid external shocks.
"The regional knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will enable the economies of Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) to assess the demand for new forms and directions of regional cooperation in light of the implications of the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the region by systematically collecting additional information on the related socioeconomic developments, (analyzing regional trade flows, and reviewing alternative transit options," ADB said.
All three TA outputs will include policy recommendations for the ADB and the CCA governments, as well as the production of policy briefs and other publications or reports that will be accessible online.
ADB stressed that most CCA countries are members of the CAREC program, which serves as a flexible and effective platform for regional cooperation in the region. "Strengthening and reinvigorating regional cooperation under CAREC will be crucial in the new context. Based on this, CAREC and other regional stakeholders may then review and adjust the existing and added channels of cooperation to meet the new challenges," ADB noted.
The bank also noted that the TA is aligned with ADB's Strategy 2030 and its seven operational priorities (OP1OP7), specifically OP6 on strengthening governance and institutional capacity, and OP7 on fostering regional cooperation and integration.
"It is also aligned with the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) 2030 strategy and its operational clusters 2 (trade, tourism, and economic corridor) and 3 (infrastructure and economic connectivity). The TA will bring regional benefits to CCA countries through the joint management of new challenges, and by invigorating regional cooperation to maintain sustainable trade and growth in CCA," ADB said.
According to ADB, gender mainstreaming is based on a comprehensive gender assessment in developing member countries.
“Country Partnership Strategies (CPS) are developed on the basis of a Country Gender Assessment (CGA). These assessments are important, especially in the context of a global pandemic that affects men and women differently. The CPA will provide the necessary gender analysis of the socio-economic situation and gender policy review , on the basis of which the CPS will be prepared and indicative gender characteristics for projects in various sectors will be determined," ADB concluded.
Azerbaijan has been a member of ADB since 1999. Since then, the country has received approximately $5.2 billion in loans, grants, and technical assistance from ADB (primarily in the areas such as finance, public sector management, agriculture, energy, health, water management and transport).