DUSHANBE, September 14, 2009, Asia-Plus — the 8th session of the Customs Cooperation Committee of the central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program will be held in Dushanbe on September 15-16.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Resident Mission to Tajikistan, senior representatives from customs services of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will gather in Dushanbe to discuss cooperation in the framework of the program. They will consider issues related to transit, simplification of customs procedures, management of risks, etc.
Representatives from the World Customs Organization will also attend the meeting, the source said.
The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program was initiated in 1997. CAREC’s goal is to improve living standards and to reduce poverty in CAREC countries through more efficient and effective regional economic cooperation. To date, the Program has focused on financing infrastructure projects and improving the region”s policy environment in the priority areas of: transport; energy; trade policy; and trade facilitation. These areas are critical to improving the region’s economic performance and livelihoods of the people, especially of the poor.
The CAREC Program includes Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In addition, invitations to participate are under consideration by Turkmenistan and Russian Federation.
In January 2002, the Ministerial Conference on Regional Economic Program endorsed the creation of the CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee (CCC). The Committee aims to promote regional trade facilitation initiatives through concerted customs reforms and modernization, strengthened interagency cooperation, and enhanced partnerships with the private sector to eliminate trade and development barriers. Currently, the CCC is composed of heads and deputy heads of customs organizations of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan, a CAREC observer, also participates in CCC activities. The CCC meets annually and serves as the regional forum for addressing customs issues relevant to cross-border trade.
