UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly joined high-level officials Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Akan Rakhmetullin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Azizbek Madmarov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Muzaffar Huseinzoda, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and Mr. Vepa Hajiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan at a high-level event in Tashkent to sign and officially launch the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025.
Through the new programme, UNODC will deliver effective, efficient and accountable technical assistance to Member States, to support peace, security, human rights and development by making the region safer from drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism.
Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ms. Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director, opened the signing and launch ceremony of the Programme, which was attended by some 200 high-level officials, including representatives of Central Asian governments, the donor community, partner organizations, and the media.
Ms. Ghada Waly said: “The new Programme for Central Asia is fully aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular targets to achieve peaceful societies and accountable justice institutions, gender equality, health, and global partnerships within a rule of law and human rights framework”.
“The issue of effective regional interaction in countering transnational threats in the context of globalization and transformation of international conflicts is undoubtedly one of the priority tasks on the agenda of our countries. The issues reflected in the UNODC Programme for Central Asia are of great importance for further enhancing the effectiveness of our interaction in combating the multifaceted problem of transnational threats”, stated Mr. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in his opening speech.
Mr. Akan Rakhmetullin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan noted: “The new Programme represents balanced, complex update of the UNODC activities and priorities in the region and reflects lessons learned and outstanding challenges facing in Central Asia. Kazakhstan fully supports its key priority and stands ready to work with UNODC, our Central Asian partners and other stakeholders to fully implement the programme for the sake of stability and development of our region”.
Addressing to the programme launch participants, Mr. Azizbek Madmarov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic emphasized that the adoption of the new UNODC programme for Central Asia will contribute to a comprehensive solution of the threats and challenges in the region and will yield positive results in the long term. He said: “At the same time, we believe that the cornerstone of a success is the joint efforts of our countries. Only with well-coordinated teamwork, we will be able to achieve success in the fight against transnational organized crime, terrorism, extremism and drugs. The Kyrgyz Republic fully shares an integrated and balanced approach to solving new challenges and threats, and we hope for active cooperation of all parties”.
Mr. Muzaffar Huseinzoda, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan welcomed an overall vision of the new Programme and designated counterparts in the implementation of the Programme , and highlighted the utmost importance of the new Programme that envisages unified and coordinated approach to the provision of UNODC technical assistance in Central Asia with the greater focus on countering financing of terrorism cybercrime, managing the returning of foreign terrorist fighters, refuges asylum seekers, prevention of radicalization as well as infrastructure development. According to Mr. Huseinzoda : “Overall and effective implementation of the Programme will contribute to common efforts to prevent and combat above mentioned security challenges. Government of Tajikistan is committed to cooperate with the countries of the region, international and regional organizations in particular UN Agencies and place special hope on the new Regional Programme and wish Regional Representative of UNODC for Central Asia every success in implementing this programme”.
Mr. Vepa Hajiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan addressed the distinguished guests by stating: “The cooperation of Central Asian countries with the UNODC has always been systemic and consistent. And today, we once again reconfirm this by signing, together with the UNODC, the Regional Programme for Central Asia for 2022-2025. This long-term document has incorporated a number of promising directions, taking into account the dynamics of the last few years and the accumulated baggage of regional cooperation. [...] We assure you of Turkmenistan's readiness to continue to take practical part in multilateral efforts to strengthen stability and security in Central Asia and beyond, in particular in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime”.
The UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025 was developed through a comprehensive, year-long participatory consultation process with all countries in the subregion. The Programme is consistent with the UNODC Strategy 2021-2025, and is informed by the best practices of the previous cycle, implemented from 2015 to 2021.
With an estimated projected budget of USD 90 million, the programme will cover strategic priorities to support healthy, safe, and secure communities in Central Asia, resilient to the threats posed by drugs and crime, and equipped with fair, effective, and accountable justice systems.
The programme acts as a strategic framework for regional cooperation, focusing on technical and expert support based on priorities outlined by the five Central Asian States, reflected in five pillars:
Focusing on these priorities, UNODC aims to improve the responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of its support to Central Asia’s states, including in addressing intersecting drug, crime and terrorism challenges in the region in the context of the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
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