Foreword site forthelatestinformation. the ECOChronicle;pleasealsokeepaneyeonECO's web- very brightfutureforitspeople.Ihopeyouenjoythisissue of partners. implementing theMoUsthatwehavesignedwithourglobal thebenefitsthrougheffectively bring toourMember-States Organizations suchasWIPO. Itisimportantthatweshould signed andchannelsestablishedwithInternational tions. ThetimeperiodcoveredinthisissuesawnewMoUs tive arrangementswiththeregionalandinternationalorganiza- seeking newpartnershipsandstrengtheningexistingcoopera- will depict. to theprogramsandactivitiesofECO, asthepagesthatfollow States ofECOareshowingtheirfullcommitmentandsupport support fromitsMemberStates. da andSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs),ECOneedsfull ing globalagenda,includingthepost-2015developmentagen- meet thechallengesofpresenttimeswithrespecttotrend- nomic prosperityfortheECORegion.To achieveitsgoalsand we arecommittedtothegoalofregionalintegrationandeco- and,asreflectedthroughourECOVisionMember-States 2025, Islamabad lastyear. Let meconcludewithprayersforthisregion'sprosperity anda ECO isalsostrivingtoexpanditsexternalrelationsthrough It isbothhearteningandelevatingtonotethattheMember- We attheECOarefullyawareofaspirationsour the 13thECOSummitin the ECOHeadsofStateat tum anddriveprovidedby mainly duetothemomen- upward trajectorywhichis demonstrate, ECOisonan covered inthisissuewill as theeventsandactivities eventful stretchoftimeand we havehadarather 2018. Sincethelastissue, ECO Chroniclefortheyear bringing youthisissueof I takegreatpleasurein ECO Secretary General ECO Secretary Halil IbrahimAkca Ambassador

1 ECO CHRONICLE 2 ECO CHRONICLE Officials MeetinAshgabat Islamabad Council Concludesin Meeting heldinKarachi in Tehran Commemorated inIslamabad Baku Ministers (COM) 4-27 2-3 ECO, Pakistani HighLevel 28th ECORegionalPlanning ECO ReinsuranceCompany HoldsGA,ExCom ECO-CCI ECO Day2017 ECO ICTMinistersMeetin The 23rdCouncilof Contents News inECO CONTENTS Inauguration inTurkmenistan Infrastructure Projects Istanbul Organization Headsmeetin Agencies MeetinTehran Meeting heldinAnkara Customs OffencesDataBank Convened inIslamabad Administration Council Relations 28-43 ECO SGAttendsRegional And more... ECO CivilRegistration ECO SG,Specialized ECO Smugglingand ECO HeadsofCustoms External Secretariat Samarkand Trade Ministermeetin Conference inSamarkand Sustainable Development Ashgabat Afghanistan Conferencein Baku Asia IstanbulProcessmeetingin And more... ECO SGattendsD8Summit ECO, SESRIC signMoU ECO, TEPAV SignMoU SG, UzbekistanForeign ECO SGattendsSecurity& ECO SGattendsRegional ECO SGattendsHeartof AMF ActingSGVisits ECO within theECORegion Sustainable Development Afghanistan andWhyItMatters? 48-60 44-47 Geo-economic ImportanceofaNewProject Geo-economic Tourism Trends inECORegion:AnOverview The EconomicCooperationOrganizationand What IstheECOFund forReconstructionof agreed bytheECOSecretariat authors arenotnecessarilythoseheld or in thispublicationprovidedbywriters/ The viewsexpressedanddatacontained Disclaimer: Papers Op-ed . Economic CooperationOrganization In TheNameOfGod Patron &Supervision Tel The 23rdCouncilof Kamranieh St.,Tehran-Iran Fax P.O.Box ECO SecretaryGeneral Dushanbe,Tajikistan Ministers (COM) chronicLE No.1, GolbouAlley, Graphic Design \ http://www.eco.int Halil IbrahimAkca Published by \ (+98-21) 22831733-4 Tehran(I.R. Iran) Kia Saadatmand 0912 3210716 (+98-21) 22831732 ECO April, 2018 Front Cover Address 22292066 \ 14155-6176

3 ECO CHRONICLE News in ECO

extraordinarily sessions. The 23rd Meeting of the Council of Ministers planned to be hosted by the Republic of Tajikistan constitutes another step for broadening regional cooperation among the Member States for the socio-economic develop- ment and prosperity in the ECO Region, as well as further enhancing the cultural affinities. The Council at its 23rd meeting on April 17, 2018 in Dushanbe will, inter alia, consider the following items as per the agenda of the Meeting: The 23rd The Council will consider the Reports of the Council of Permanent Representatives, Regional Planning Council, and the Secretariat of the Organization, Sectoral Ministerial Meetings, Council of Specialized Agencies and Regional Institutions. The Council may adopt the reports of these bod- Ministers ies and may make decisions if needed. (COM) Dushanbe, Tajikistan April, 2018

ECO The Council of As the 22nd Council Meeting in Islamabad CHRONICLE Ministers is the highest adopted the ECO Vision 2025, the upcoming decision making body of the session will consider the progress made with Organization. The Council shall meet respect to its implementation. The new Scale of at least once a year by rotation, in the Assessment has been on the agenda for consecu- territories of the Member States. The tive meetings and despite continuous efforts, no year 1991 saw the first meeting of the consensus has been achieved on the issue. Council of Ministers within the frame- Therefore the agenda also includes the new work of the Economic Cooperation Scale of Assessment which has been linked to the Organization. So far, the Council has reform process of the Organization and in this held 21 regular meetings and three regard is seen as a starting point. Also being con- sidered is the restructuring of the Secretariat. In this context, the staff strength, as well as the recruitment policy may be reviewed and updat- ed. In recent years concerns have been raised in CHRONICLE ECO 4 News in ECO terms of implementation and operationalization Statute, informed the ECO Secretariat of the ECO Trade Agreement. The ECO Trade of its intension, to suspend the estab- Agreement has provided for a 'Cooperation lishment of metrology Board in Astana. Council' comprised of the respective representa- As Pakistan has expressed its willing- tives of the States parties to ECOTA for the ness to replace Kazakhstan in this implementation of the said Agreement. The regard, the protocol amending the arti- Council of Ministers may consider the drawbacks cle has been submitted to the Council and obstacles for the proper implementation of for adoption. the aforementioned Agreement and provide rec- The Council is also expected to ommendations for further cooperation under review the ECO Programme for sup- ECOTA. porting Afghanistan and consider the The term of office of the incumbent Secretary new Advocacy Programme which was General will be completed in August 2018. Since developed to support the people the appointment of the Secretary General must and government of be done by the Council Afghanistan in their of Ministers; efforts to boost economic

the 23rd Meeting of the devel- Council of Ministers opment. The will make the required deci- first Plan of Action sion, with respect to the nominat- for supporting reconstruc- ed candidate for the post of the Secretary tion of Afghanistan within the ECO General. framework was developed in 2003. The Council may also consider adoption of the After nearly two decades and the com- Protocol amending Article 5.4.1.10 of the "Statue pletion of three major projects, the of the ECO Regional Institute for Standardization, Council may make the required deci- conforming Assessment, Accreditation and sion to support Afghanistan based on Metrology" which was adopted by the Council in the principles and objectives set out in 2009 in Tehran. Under the said article, the the new advocacy programme and the Technical Management Boards provided for lessons learned and experience gained under the statute of RISCAM shall be established during this period. in Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan. However, Kazakhstan which remained non-signatory to the CHRONICLE ECO 5 News in ECO ECO ICT Ministers Meet in Baku

ECO The 2nd CHRONICLE Meeting of the Ministers of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) of the ECO Member States was held on 5th December 2017 in Baku. The Meeting was attended by high-level delega- tions from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Turkey and Turkmenistan. A delegation from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) headed by ITU Secretary "Plan of Action" was agreed by Ministerial meeting General Houlin Zhao, also to serve as a framework for future joint activities in attended the Meeting. Director the field of ICT under the umbrella of ECO. In General of "Regional order to make proper follow up on concrete activi- Commonwealth in the Field of ties/projects as highlighted by the "strategy pillars", Communications (RCC)" also par- it was decided to establish a Working Group which ticipated at the invitation of the will regularly meet and update required data and, Government of Azerbaijan. if needed, make revisions to respond to new and At the Inaugural Session, the emerging needs of the Member States. Meeting was briefed by ECO Baku Declaration was also adopted unanimously Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim by the Meeting to serve as a basic guiding docu- Akca, on major deliberations and ment for strengthening and enhancing the regional recommendations of the Senior cooperation via exploring the latest trends and Officials Meeting (SOM), held on benefits of ICT in the interest of the ECO Member 4th December 2017, notably on States. implementation of two phases of On the sidelines of the Meeting, ECO Secretary regional studies in line with the General met with ITU Secretary General, where mandate provided by the 1st ITU was informed about ECO's major ongoing Meeting of ECO Ministers, projects in various sectors, notably on the tangible addressing respectively ICT needs developments achieved in the sector of energy and of the ECO Member States, and transport. ITU official expressed satisfaction with the assessment of status of ICT the level of attachment demonstrated by both ECO application in ECO Member Secretariat and the Member States to mandated States, including in health, edu- subjects and indicated readiness to strengthen cation and agriculture. cooperation with and contribution to further ICT The "2025 ECO Regional related follow-ups of the ECO Region. Both sides Strategy for Information Society expressed willingness to continue joint cooperation Development" and proposed in the field of ICT. CHRONICLE ECO 6 News in ECO ECO Day 2017 Commemorated in Islamabad Secretariat and the Member States gather at the ECO In a high- premises in Tehran, to cele- Although the "ECO Day" is ECO CHRONICLE level ceremo- brate the date of the adoption celebrated to mark ECO ny, the "ECO Day 2017" was of the "Protocol amending the enlargement from a 3-country celebrated on 14 December Treaty of Izmir" signed on 28th to a 10-country organization in 2017 in Islamabad, Pakistan. November 1992. early 1990s, this tradition The Event, attended by high The Protocol was meant to dates back to 1985 when the ranking officials three founding from the host coun- Members (Iran, try, ECO Member Pakistan, and States, ECO Turkey) of "Regional Secretariat, and Cooperation for agencies, as well as Development regional and inter- (RCD)" decided to national organiza- rename their organi- tions, was honored zation as "Economic by the presence of Cooperation honorable President Organization of the Islamic (ECO)". Republic of Pakistan This was later Mamnoon Hussain, incorporated in the who also addressed Izmir Treaty through the audience. "Protocol amending ECO Secretary the Treaty of Izmir" General, Halil done on 18 June Ibrahim Akca and 1990. the Deputy The "ECO Council Chairman of of Permanent Planning Representatives Commission of (CPR)" had decided Pakistan Sartaj Aziz, to organize the made welcoming "ECO Day 2017" on remarks in the ceremony. adjust the relevant "Treaty" the sidelines of the 28th meet- The ECO Day The 28th of provisions in the light of the ing of the "ECO Regional November is annually com- expansion of the Organization Planning Council (RPC)" in memorated as by which ECO to 7 more countries, namely, Islamabad. Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. CHRONICLE ECO 7 News in ECO ECO-CCI Holds GA, ExCom in Tehran

ECO The 16th General endowed with abundant natural and CHRONICLE Assembly and 24th human resources, he added. Mr. Akca con- Executive Committee Meetings of the ECO- cluded by stating that implementation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry the ECO Vision-2025 with the support of (ECO-CCI), hosted by the Iranian Chamber the Member States and their respective of Commerce, Industries, Mines and National Chambers has the potential to put Agriculture (ICCIMA) was held on 3-5 the region's economy on a permanently March, 2018 in Tehran. Present at the ses- higher growth path within the next decade. sion were Iran's Transport Minister, Abbas In their statements, the dignitaries and Akhoundi, ECO-CCI President, Ghazanfar business leaders representing their National Bilour, ECO Secretary General, Hilal Chambers highlighted that in comparison Ibrahim Akca, Head of Iran's Chamber of with the peer economic blocs such as EU, Commerce Gholamhossein Shafei, Vice ASEAN, NAFTA, etc the volume of trade President of Turkey's Union of Chamber among ECO Member States is below its and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Mr. preferred potential. They underlined that Selçuk Öztürk. by stimulating economic growth and devel- In a statement to the session, ECO opment through enhancing investment in Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, said regional infrastructure and connectivity, the that various agreements and legal frame- region can effectively utilize human works such as ECOTA, APPI, TTFA, along resources and benefit from its vast natural with developing intuitions such as ECO- resources. TDB, can serve as a tool for increasing The delegations also underscored that the regional connectivity and integration to fos- ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) as a prefer- ter economic growth and development in ential trading arrangement can play a crucial the region. During the 13th ECO Summit role in enhancing intra-regional trade Meeting in Islamabad, the Member States among the member countries and usher approved the ECO Vision-2025 with the prosperity in the region. They also encour- priority areas of trade, transportation, ener- aged their respective governments to ease gy, tourism, economic growth and social the business environment by removal of welfare as a means to improving living stan- bottlenecks for reducing the cost of doing dards of people of the region who are business within the region. CHRONICLE ECO 8 News in ECO

ECO The First Meeting of the CHRONICLE ECO ECO Reinsurance Company (ERC) was held in on 26th February 2018 in Karachi. The meeting to determine the modalities for the oper- Reinsurance ationalization of the Company was attended by the Board of Directors (BoD) and officials from the Consulate Generals Company of Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Turkey in Karachi. Meeting held The meeting was chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Reinsurance in Karachi Company Limited, Shakeel Ahmed Mangnejo, who underscored the impor- Islamic Republic of Pakistan nominated tance of reinsurance in the region and official from the Pakistan Reinsurance called upon Member States to strengthen Company Limited as their respected their efforts for close collaboration in focal points. implementation of joint projects and ini- The ERC, which entered into force on tiatives. December 3, 2017, seeks to supplement The delegates decided that the the existing reinsurance services in the Meetings of the General Assembly and ECO region, promote growth of the the Board of Directors of the ECO retention capacities, reduce the outflow Reinsurance Company will take place on of foreign exchange and support eco- 2nd May, 2018 in Karachi, the Islamic nomic development in the region. Based Republic of Pakistan. Also, the Islamic in Karachi, the company will also provide Republic of Iran and the Republic of the region with additional resources for Turkey nominated officials from their reinsurance services according to interna- Consulates General in Karachi, while the tional standards. CHRONICLE ECO 9 News in ECO

The Heads of Delegations also made their 28th national statements in the Ministerial seg- ment and shared their views on the future course of actions within ECO, especially in ECO Regional the light of the ECO Vision 20125. Heads/officials of the ECO Specialized Agencies and Regional Institutions also pre- sented their annual reports to the Council. Planning Council The Ministerial Council adopted, on the recommendation of the Senior Officials segment, the ECO Work Programme and Concludes Calendar of Events for the year 2018. The ECO Secretary General and Deputy in Islamabad Chairman of Planning Commission of

ECO The 28th Meeting of the CHRONICLE Regional Planning Council (RPC), which had started on 11 December 2017, concluded its work in Islamabad when the Ministerial segment of the Council adopted the outcome documents on 14th December 2017. The Ministerial segment, chaired by Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of Pakistan, Sartaj Aziz, was attended by high-level delegations from the ECO Member States and observers, as well as heads and officials of the ECO Specialized Agencies and Regional Institutions. The Ministerial segment received reports of the 8 sectoral committees on "Trade and Investment", "Transport and Communications", " Energy, Mineral and Environment", Agriculture, Industry and Tourism", "Projects, Economic Research Pakistan also participated in a press brief- and Statistics", "Human Resources and ing, where after explaining the historical Sustainable Development", "Drugs and significance of the Economic Cooperation Organized Crimes", and "External Relations Organization; the two sides informed the and ECO Regional Institutions and Press of the various decisions taken during Specialized Agencies". the RPC. Speaking at the Ministerial segment, ECO On the sidelines of the Council and on Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, 13th December, ECO Secretary General informed the participants on the state of held consultations with the heads of dele- affairs of ECO as well as the results of the gations of the Member States and ECO discussions in the Senior Officials segment Specialized Agencies and Regional of the Council, held on 11-13 December Institutions on the mandated reform in 2017. these ECO bodies. CHRONICLE ECO 10 News in ECO

ECO A bilateral Meeting CHRONICLE between ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, and ECO, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Sartaj Aziz, was held on 15 Pakistani November 2017 on the margins of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA-VII) in Ashgabat. High Level The purpose of the talks was to review the latest status of the preparations for 28th ECO Regional Planning Council Officials (RPC) to be attended by the ministers of the ECO Member States. The RPC Meet in Ashgabat meeting is scheduled for 11-14 December 2017 in Islamabad. Development ministers needs to be Ambassador Akca briefed H.E. Mr. strengthened in the framework of ECO. Sartaj Aziz on the preparatory process Both sides further discussed some sub- of 28th Regional Planning Council stantial and organizational issues related (RPC). He also informed Pakistani offi- to the organization of the 28th RPC cial on his recent bilateral meetings Meeting, including the envisaged "ECO with Turkish Minister of Development Special Conference on Afghanistan" in Ankara and Uzbek Development planned to be held on the sidelines of Minister in Tashkent in this regard. upcoming RPC Meeting. Mr. Sartaj Aziz shared his views on the They also underscored the importance optimal format and contents of the RPC of this RPC meeting as the first such ministerial meeting and highlighted the meeting after the adoption of the "ECO view that the role of Planning and Vision 2025". CHRONICLE ECO 11 News in ECO ECO Heads of Customs Administration Council Convened in Islamabad

ECO The 8th are deeply interlinked. He CHRONICLE Meeting of the added that as trade and trans- Council of ECO Heads of port are of priority in the ECO Customs Administration (CHCA) Vision-2025, better coordina- was held in Islamabad on tion and cooperation among November 14, 2017. The ses- the Customs Authorities of the sion which was inaugurated by ECO and removal of impedi- the Special Assistant to the ments can greatly contribute to Prime Minister on Revenue and regional integration. the Minister of State of the He also added that ECO Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Member States need to move Haroon Akhtar Khan, saw dele- towards automation, standardi- gations from six ECO Member zation, and harmonization of States', namely, the Republic of Central Asia, South Asia, and the Customs procedures, as Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic the Middle East. Similarly, the stipulated in the WTO's of Iran, the Republic of Central Asian States and Agreement on Trade Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic Azerbaijan are uniquely located Facilitation. This will ultimately of Pakistan (the host), the on the Silk Road and Energy reduce the cost of doing busi- Republic of Tajikistan and the Corridor connecting the giant ness and accelerate economic Republic of Turkey come economies of China and Russia growth and development and together to discuss enhanced to rest of the world. The session benefit both the producers and customs cooperation in the was also attended by the consumers in the ECO Region. region. Director General of World Free flow of goods & services, During his inauguration Customs Organization (WCO), sharing of Customs information speech, Mr. Akhtar Khan, Mikuriya Kunio and the and simplifying procedures for described the Economic Chairman of Federal Bureau of expediting movement of trucks Cooperation organization as a Revenue (FBR),Tariq Mehmood and trains are some of the areas major geopolitical block with Pasha. where progress is imperative to Pakistan holding a very impor- In his statement, ECO Deputy move on, he added. tant strategic position on the Secretary General, Kanan Mr. Nazarov continued by say- world map due to its proximity Nazarov, maintained that the ing that the total trade of the ten to China, Russia, and India, increase in the volume of trade ECO countries amounted to Turkey bridging the continents requires efficient facilitation at US$ 626 billion in 2016 which of Europe and Asia, while Iran is the border crossings and an effi- registered a marginal decline by situated at the crossroads of cient transport network as both a decrease of 3.4 percent main- CHRONICLE ECO

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ly due to the global recessionary trends which resulted in ECO Smuggling decrease of global trade from US$ 18 trillion to US$ 16 trillion which was due to a decrease in and Customs oil prices. Despite being home to 6.2 percent of world popula- tion, ECO's share in global trade Offences has been stagnating at 2 per- cent. While referring to the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA), Data Bank Mr. Nazarov expressed hope that the 5th Ministerial Meeting Meeting held in Ankara ECO The First Technical Meeting on Establishment CHRONICLE and Operation of ECO Smuggling and Customs Offences Data Bank was held on 20 February 2018 in Ankara. The meeting brought together delegations from the Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Turkey, in a bid to finalize the "Draft Data Fields" and discuss issues pertaining to the Data Bank. The Contracting Parties agreed on the first of July, 2018 as the commencement date with all parties providing the required infor- mation up to the first of January, 2018. It was also decided that a training course for the concerned authorities will also be held by Turkey before the end of June. The Agreement on the Establishment and Operations of ECO Smuggling and Customs Offences Data Bank" came into force on the 30th December 2016. It has been signed by six Member States i.e. the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic Tajikistan and the Republic of Turkey and ratified by four Member states, namely, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Turkey. The Data Bank is considered a land- mark achievement with the core objective to help in boosting rev- enue of the Member States and stopping/reducing pilferages in their national revenue by sharing information on vital data fields. on Foreign Trade scheduled to be held in January 2018 in Islamabad will further explore ways to enhance trade and effectuate ECOTA. In separate statements Member States also expressed their confidence that the relevant agreements within the region can serve as a means for increasing intra-regional trade. CHRONICLE ECO

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ECO SG, ECO Specialized Agencies Meet in Tehran

ECO On the invitation of the Secretary CHRONICLE General, ECO, the heads of the ECO Specialized agencies, namely ECO Cultural Institute, ECO Science Foundation, and ECO Educational Institute paid a visit to the ECO Secretariat and met with the Secretary General, ECO, on February 4, 2018 to discuss issues of mutual significance. Secretary General, ECO, stated that such consulta- tive meetings should be a regular feature to enhance cooperation among the three sisterly agen- cies of the ECO and between the Agencies and the Secretariat.ECO greatly appreciates the important role that the Specialized Agencies of the Economic Cooperation Organization are performing, and sup- ports their activities in their respective domains and assures its full support. After the meeting, ECO Secretary General also hosted a lunch in the honor of the three heads of the ECO Specialized Agencies. CHRONICLE ECO 14 News in ECO

Turkish Director General of Population and Citizenship Affairs, Sinan Guner, ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, and Deputy Minister of Interior of Turkey, Mehmet Ersoy. In his statement, ECO Secretary General expressed his profound gratitude to the people and the ECO The 2nd Meeting Government of the Republic of Turkey, for their CHRONICLE of the ECO Heads warm hospitality and the excellent arrange- of National Organizations/Centers ments during the meeting. While presenting an for Civil Registration was held on overview on ECO activities, including the 17 October 2017 in Istanbul. The recently adopted ECO Vision 2025, the ECO Meeting was attended by delega- Secretary General defined civil registration as an tions from 9 ECO Member States, area of cooperation which can yield critical namely, the Islamic Republic of people-related services for human development Afghanistan, Republic of dividend. ECO Civil Registration Organization Heads meet in Istanbul

Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of During the day-long meeting, delegations dis- Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, cussed regional cooperation in the areas such as Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic civil status registration and best e-government of Pakistan, Republic of Tajikistan, practices; technological and educational coop- Republic of Turkey and Republic eration among ECO civil registration organiza- of Uzbekistan. tions, ID Cards and etc.The Meeting also decid- In the opening session, state- ed to establish a task group of high-level regis- ments were delivered by the tration experts to develop necessary frameworks for the realization of regional cooperation on civil registration. ECO Secretariat was requested by the Meeting to develop a programme for implementation of the agreed measures and submit it to the relevant ECO bodies for needed decisions and financial support. CHRONICLE ECO 15 News in ECO

ECO-CCI's Executive Committee Meeting Held in Ankara

ECO The 23rd Executive the ECO-Chambers of Commerce and CHRONICLE Committee Meeting of Industry (ECO-CCI) was held in Ankara on the on 17 November 2017. The meeting inaugurated by the Turkish Minister of Development, Lütfi Elvan, and Minister of Customs and Trade Bülent Tüfenkci, was hosted by the Union of the Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). Delegations from seven ECO Member States, namely, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Turkey deliberated the ECO Secretariat attends ECO-CCI Specialized Com

ECO The Executive chaired by Maher Alam Khan, Secretary General CHRONICLE Committee and of ECO-CCI, delegations from the National Specialized Committees (i.e Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Tourism, Arbitration, Trade Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Facilitation, Transport, Women Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Entrepreneurs Council, Industry Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Investment Meetings of the the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of ECO Chamber of Commerce and Turkey deliberated the issues pertaining to Trade Industry was held on 15-16 Facilitation, Industry and Investment, November 2017 in Ankara. Transportation, tourism, Arbitration and Women During the meetings which were Entrepreneurs. CHRONICLE ECO

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means for strengthening cooperation speed up completion of projects in the through greater engagement of the private areas of trade, transportation, etc., with the sector. collaboration of regional and international In his statement, ECO Deputy Secretary organizations. General, Kanan Nazarov underlined the The second segment of the 23rd significance of cooperation in promoting Executive Committee Meeting constituted the economic growth of the Member States the Statutory Session. During the meeting, and also improving living standards of peo- the Secretary General of ECO-CCI, Maher ple in this region of abundant natural and Alam Khan, presented a report of the human resources. While referring to ECO's annual activities of the chamber. legal frameworks especially ECOTA, APPI, The meeting concluded with an apprecia- TTFA, Mr. Nazarov added that these insti- tive note and high spirit aimed at strength- tutional mechanisms are a vivid reflection ening cooperation and collaboration in all of collaboration, requiring more interest vital areas and with a commitment to capi- and participation of the Member States to talize the region's vast resources and to reap the potential benefits. He maintained take maximum benefit from the current that ECO Secretariat is endeavoring to global economic environment.

mittees in Ankara. During the meetings, the representative of the Centre" and the "Business Rating ECO Secretariat briefed the delegations on ECO Program" (BRP ) was also deliberat- Vision 2025 and ECO meetings since the 27th ed. It was also informed that the Meeting of Regional Planning Council (RPC) in theme for the 2nd Confobition on December 2016. The ECO Secretariat also pro- Health Tourism - to be held in Iran vided updates on various ECO agreements and in 2018- will now include Tourism, appreciated the efforts of the ECO-CCI in pro- Health Tourism, Confobition and moting commercial, industrial and economic the Halal Conference. The draft cooperation among member states. Report of the meetings was pre- A recent proposal to form "Trade Facilitation sented to the Executive Committee Desks" in ECO Member States, "ECO Arbitration of the ECO-CCI for adoption. CHRONICLE ECO 17 News in ECO

ECO Customs ECO The In his statement, CHRONICLE 4th Mr. Mohammad Meeting of the Sub- Experts Zahid underscored Committee of ECO the significance of Customs Experts cooperation in this (SCOEs) was held in Sub- area and considered Islamabad on 13th it an effective means November 2017. The to increase the vol- meeting which was Committee ume of inter-regional inaugurated by and intra-regional Pakistan's Federal trade and more Board of Revenue held in meaningful for the Member Custom, landlocked states. Muhammad Zahid In his speech, ECO Khokhar, saw delega- Islamabad Deputy Secretary tions of Customs General, Kanan experts from six ECO Member Republic of Pakistan the Nazarov, highlighted the need States i.e. the Republic of Republic of Tajikistan and the for economic integration of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Turkey come the ECO Region which would Republic of Iran, the Republic together to discuss avenues of lead to the development of of Kazakhstan, the Islamic cooperation on customs. the intra-regional trade. He CHRONICLE ECO 18 News in ECO

agreed that the implementa- tion of the proposed EDI mechanism will help in facili- tating trade in the region and hoped that the commitment of a Technical Committee on EDI The other delegations also Member States for the simplifi- was formed to further expedite provided updates on the issue cation, harmonization, and the progress in this regard. and maintained that training modernization of Customs The delegates briefed the courses for Customs officials of procedures will promote inte- Meeting regarding the legisla- the ECO Member States can gration within the ECO tion and various developments be very useful for strengthen- Region. in their countries on imple- ing cooperation among the During the session, the ECO mentation of their AEO Member States. The Sub- Secretariat informed that Six Programmes. Committee recommended the Member States have already The Islamic Republic of Member States to finalize the signed the Agreement Calendar of Trainings on Establishment and in their respective Operation of ECO countries and share Smuggling and the details with the Customs Offences ECO Secretariat for Data Bank and three circulation among the Member States have Member States. so far ratified it. It was The Chairman of the further informed that Sub-Committee upon ratification of thanked the delega- fourth Member State, tions for their active the document will participation. The come into force. The Meeting concluded Republic of with a vote of thanks Azerbaijan to the host. A dinner announced that it has was also hosted by ratified this the Special Assistant Agreement and the to the Prime Minister Instrument of the on Revenue and the Ratification will be Minister of State of communicated via diplomatic Pakistan made a presentation the Islamic Republic of channels. on "Facilities Provided by Pakistan, Haroon Akhtar In addition, the Islamic Pakistan to Expedite Cargo" Khan, where the distinguished Republic of Iran and the and highlighted the Customs delegates had the further Islamic Republic of Pakistan arrangement for the move- opportunity to share their outlined the salient features of ment of perishable goods to views and experiences on the proposed Electronic Data the neighboring countries developments and challenges Interchange (EDI). It was especially the Islamic Republic in this regard. of Afghanistan. It was decided that the transit trade facility for perishable goods will be linked with the EDI System once it is in place. CHRONICLE ECO 19 News in ECO

ECO Trade

ECO The 4th Seminar CHRONICLE on Trade Patterns Patterns, in the ECO Region and WTO Issues was the Ministry of Commerce of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and ECO WTO Issues Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) on October 25-26, 2017 in Islamabad. The meeting saw Seminar representatives the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of held in Pakistan, Republic of Turkey, ECO Secretariat and ECO Trade and Development come together to Islamabad share views on Trading patterns, WTO Accession Process and Benefits of Memberships, Regional Trade Integration and Analysis of the Comparative Advantages of the ECO Countries. The Intellectual Property Rights and prospects of Cooperation between ECO countries were also deliberated during the two-day event. The Seminar was held in premis- es of Pakistan Institute of Trade & Development (PITAD), the Government of Pakistan's Institute for trade capacity-building and human development and was opened by Pakistan's Minister of Commerce, H.E. Muhammad Pervaiz Malik. In His speech, the Minister underlined the impor- tance of regional economic cooperation in view of the rapidly changing global environment. He emphasized that while other countries are moving towards regional eco- nomic integration, ECO remains one of the least integrat- ed regions. After 14 years, the non-operationalization of the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) was one of the main areas of concern, he added. Pakistan is open to discuss all CHRONICLE ECO 20 News in ECO

proposals by the Member States to make ECOTA more Minister of Commerce. While beneficial and more inclusive to all Member States and speaking on the occasion, she during the forthcoming ECO Ministerial Meeting on Trade said that there were rich historical in January 2018, member states can discuss means to and cultural links among ECO reinvigorate trade in the region to make ECO a viable countries. She emphasized the regional economic entity. need for enhanced cooperation The President of ECO Trade and Development Bank to realize the true potential of the Javaid Aslam also addressed the Seminar, underlining the ECO. importance of regional economic cooperation with the On the last day, in the closing aim of increased trade within the ECO region and assured remarks, Mr. Ilyas Ghori, Director the members of the Bank's commitment to this cause. General of Pakistan Institute for In his statement, the ECO Director for Trade and Trade and Development (PITAD) Investment Dr. Muhammad Adnan thanked all the partici- of Ministry of Commerce of pants for attending the Seminar and ECO Trade and Pakistan thanked the representa- Development Bank for its support. He also acknowledged tives for their participation as well the role played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran as for their recommendations dur- and Ambassador of Kyrgyz Republic in the completion of ing the course of deliberations. the quorum. At the end of the Plenary Session, on behalf He appreciated the ECO of the Secretary General of ECO, Plaques were presented Secretariat and ECO Trade and to Pakistan's Minister of Commerce, the President of the Development Bank for their con- ECO Bank, and the Director General of PITAD. tributions. On the evening of the first day, Minister of Commerce of Pakistan, H.E. Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, hosted a dinner in honor of all the delegates, ECO Secretariat dele- gation and various officials from the Government of Pakistan. Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, attended the dinner on behalf of the CHRONICLE ECO 21 News in ECO

tant workshop. He particularly thanked UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office for the excellent organiza- tion of the Workshop and UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for sending relevant Expert to share with the participants the global pro- grammes and initiatives on school safety. He also briefed the audience on ECO activities particular- ly in disaster-related issues and recalled ECO cooperation with international partners on school safety, including with OECD and UNISDR. He ECO- welcomed the recent interest of UNESCO in ECO Region and recalled some recent joint activities. Deputy Secretary General further informed about the post-Sendai activities in the ECO UNESCO Region, including the development of "ECO Regional Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction" which was finalized a few days ago in Ankara, School Safety with the contributions from the Member States and international partners such as UNESCAP, UNISDR, and IDB. He finally expressed hope that ECO Secretariat would get valuable lessons Workshop and advice from the discussions in the 3-day workshop, which will be utilized in the imple- mentation of the relevant activities of the ECO held in Tehran Regional Framework.

ECO CHRONICLE A School Safety Workshop was organized from 22 to 24 October 2017 at the ECO Secretariat in Tehran, participated by representatives and experts from Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Pakistan as well as officials from UNESCO, UNhabitat, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), Natural Disaster Research Institute (NDRI) and ECO Secretariat. ECO Deputy Secretary General, Overall annual economic losses from disasters In Seyed Jalaledin Alavi Sabzevari, in his her opening remarks, the Director of UNESCO's opening remarks welcomed the dele- Cluster Office, Kuisch Laroche said that annual gations from the ECO Member States disaster related economic losses represent and partner organizations and appreci- between USD 250 billion and USD 300 billion. ated their contributions to this impor- She further highlighted that studies of disaster trends and the likely consequences of climate change suggest that each year 175 million chil- dren will be affected by natural hazard-related disasters alone. She emphasized that without safe CHRONICLE ECO 22 News in ECO schools, learning and teaching will be disrupted in the aftermath of a disaster, often causing chil- dren to roam around in the streets where they may be more exposed to abuse, exploitation, and separation from their families in the chaotic post- disaster situation. This might further cause them to lose an entire school year, as they cannot catch up on the weeks or months spent out of school. ty. He further added that resilient cities Deputy Head of the Organization for the and schools can be achievable in the Development, Renovation, and Equipping of context of "New Urban Agenda" which Schools of Iran, Ali Shahri, also made remarks sets a new global standard for sustain- highlighting the importance of safe schools for a able urban development. sustainable future of countries. He mentioned The Workshop included a series of that in 2005, Iran's Parliament allocated 4 billion presentations by Margherita Fanchiotti dollars to retrofit and renovate 9,500 schools. An from UNESCO Headquarters in Paris additional 3 million dollars was allocated in 2016 and DRR international expert of the for school renovation projects to be implemented ECO Secretariat, Mahmudul Islam, fol-

from 2017 to 2022. This shows the willingness of lowed by interactive discussions among the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the participants on the issues such as the implementation of the Safe School Initiative global and regional frameworks, under the Sendai Framework. Moreover, charity including ECO Regional Framework for organizations and the private sectors in Iran con- Disaster Risk Reduction; tools and tributed over 400 million dollars in 2014 alone techniques to implement for the retrofitting of schools in Iran. the"Comprehensive School Safety" pro- In his remarks, UN-Habitat Tehran Chief Siamak gramme, including VISUS tools for Moghaddam, underscored that schools do not assessing school safety; resilient citizen- only serve students during the earthquakes or ry; culture of safety through integrating other disasters, but they can also act as a tempo- DRR and resilience in education sys- rary shelter for communities. Although building tem; etc. codes and regulations have been developed in many countries, but the quality aspects of the implementation of the codes have been compro- mised in the midst of a huge rush towards quanti- CHRONICLE ECO 23 News in ECO

TTCC Meeting Held in Islamabad

ECO The meetings without limitation, technical meeting of ECO Ministers of CHRONICLE of 9th Transit requirements for roads and Transport. Transport Coordination Council vehicles, accession to major The Customs Transit (TTCC), 9th Road Committee of international legal tools facilitat- Committee of TTCC was also TTCC and 6th meeting of the ing movement of goods were updated on measures regarding Customs Transit Committee of among top issues addressed by electronic TIR (e-TIR), TIR TTCC were held Electronic Pre- in Islamabad on Declarations 13-15th (TIR-EPD), February 2018. TIR+, GPS Delegations rep- tracking of resenting trans- cargo, with the port and cus- representative toms authori- of IRU provid- ties/administra- ing a compre- tions of eight hensive presen- Member States, tation on the Contracting latest status of Parties to Transit TIR implemen- Transport tation in ECO Framework region (2005- Agreement 2017). The (TTFA), namely, Meeting called Afghanistan, on all Member Azerbaijan, Iran, States to pro- Kazakhstan, vide regular Kyrgyz Republic, updates in line Pakistan, with the imple- Tajikistan, and Turkey participat- the Meeting. Updates were also mentation of the 5-year Action ed in the Meetings. In addition provided further by ECO Plan prepared under ECO/IDB representatives of the Secretariat on the data collect- Project on customs provisions of International Road Transport ed during the field visits of the TTFA and modernization of Union (IRU) and the Union of consultancy team to the road border crossing points. Chambers and Commodity segments and border crossing The performance of the TTFA Exchange of Turkey (TOBB) and point of Islamabad-Tehran- Fund in the fiscal year of 2017 the ECO Secretariat took part in Istanbul (ITI) and Kyrgyzstan- was also addressed at the the two-day deliberations. Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran Meeting. After an initial briefing The Road Committee of TTCC (KTAI) en route countries. In by the ECO Secretariat, the discussed at length the out- order to create cost-effective Meeting discussed proposed standing technical issues imped- road transportation and reduce Programme of the TTFA Fund ing the smooth flow of traffic. expenses, the Meeting was pro- for 2018/2019 which would Facilitation of multiple visas for posed to include this issue on cover TTFA related activities drivers, issuance of permits the agenda of the upcoming and events. CHRONICLE ECO 24 News in ECO

ECO The CHRONICLE 227th Council of Permanent Representatives (CPR) 227th Meeting was held at the International Convention Centre of Kish Island of Iran in 14th February 2018. The Meeting chaired by CPR the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Iran, Asif Ali Held in Kish Khan Durrani, was attended by the Island Permanent Representatives of and Investment Affairs of Kish the Islamic Republic of Free Zone Organization, Afghanistan, Republic of Mohammad Reza Saeedi wel- Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of comed the participants, while Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, ECO Secretary General, Halil Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Ibrahim Akca, also made a Republic of Tajikistan, Republic statement. of Turkey, Turkmenistan and The Meeting discussed the Republic of Uzbekistan. issues related to holding of ECO Secretary General along 23rd Council of Ministers on with concerned officials of the 17 April 2018 in Dushanbe, Secretariat also attended the Republic of Tajikistan, as well Meeting. as other issues of importance In his inaugural remarks, in a friendly and constructive Deputy Director for Economic environment. CHRONICLE ECO 25 News in ECO

ECO Attorney Generals meet in Islamabad

ECO The “3rd Meeting challenges including human trafficking, migrant smug- CHRONICLE of Attorneys/ gling and trans-boundary kidnapping for ransom, drug Prosecutors General of the ECO trafficking, relationship between transnational organ- Member States” was held at ized crime and terrorism, fight against cybercrime, Islamabad, the Islamic Republic of preventive measures in fight against trans-national Pakistan from 30th to 31st January crimes, developing scientific and research ties among 2018. The meeting was attended the training centers of Attorneys/ Prosecutors General by the representatives of the offices, etc. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, In his statement, H.E the Secretary General of ECO the Republic of Azerbaijan, the expressed his gratitude to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the 3rd Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Meeting of the Attorneys/ Prosecutor General of ECO Republic, the Islamic Republic of Member States. He explained how, since its inception, Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the ECO has worked towards increasing the regional the Republic of Turkey, and the connectivity and integration. He informed that during Republic of Uzbekistan. the the 13thECO Summit in Islamabad, the Member Secretary General of the Economic States approved the ECO vision 2025 which focuses Cooperation Organisation, Halil on improving trade, transportation, energy, tourism, Ibrahim Akca, also attended the economic growth and social welfare. meeting. The Meeting condemned the recent acts of terrorism The meeting focused on the in Afghanistan and expressed solidarity with the vic- effective mechanism for judicial tims and people of Afghanistan. The meeting conclud- cooperation in the ECO Region, ed with adoption of “Islamabad Declaration” wherein mutual legal assistance and fight Islamic Republic of Pakistan inter alia also proposed to against transnational organized share a draft framework agreement for judicial cooper- crime, sharing best practices and ation/legal assistance mechanism for the ECO Region. CHRONICLE ECO 26 News in ECO

ECO SG, Pakistan PM meet in Islamabad Vision 2015-25 for promoting trade, enhancing regional con- nectivity through greater rail ECO ECO and road links and tourism different areas including trade, CHRONICLE Secretary promotion besides other areas regional connectivity, tourism General, Halil Ibrahim and people to people con- Akca, met the Prime tacts. Minister of Islamic He said that ECO could Republic of Pakistan at the play a critical role towards Prime Minister Office on advancing these goals and 31st of January 2018. bringing the people further The meeting took place closer to each other. Prime during the Secretary Minister Shahid Khaqan General's visit to Islamabad Abbasi also said that to attend the 3rd Meeting Pakistan extends full sup- of the port to the organization in Attorneys/Prosecutors promoting bilateral as well General of the ECO as multilateral cooperation Member States. During the among the ECO Member meeting, Mr. Akca States. acknowledged Pakistan's He reiterated Pakistan's active role in advancing ECO of mutual benefit. continued commitment to goals during the chairmanship Prime Minister, Shahid play an active role in regional of Pakistan. He said that ECO Khaqan Abbasi, highlighted integration and strengthening Secretariat was actively pursu- the huge potential between multi-faceted cooperation ing the goals set in the ECO the ECO Member States in through the ECO platform. CHRONICLE ECO 27 External Relations

Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of State for External Affairs of India M.J. Akbar, as well as the high-level representatives from govern- ments, international organizations and busi- ness circles, participated in the event. The pipeline is planned to transport of 33 ECO SG bcma of Turkmenistan's natural gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India along the 1,800 km route. Alongside the significant enhancement of Attends energy security of three ECO Member States, namely Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, TAPI is also set to contribute to Regional peace and overall economic development of Infrastructure the involved countries. Projects Inauguration in Turkmenistan

ECO A ceremony on the CHRONICLE occasion of launching the new construction phase of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- India gas pipeline (TAPI), Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission (TAP-500), as well as fiber-optic communication lines, and the new railroad along the route Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) - Turgundi (Afghanistan), was held on 23 February 2018 in Serhetabat, Turkmenistan. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan 500- The President of Turkmenistan, kV power transmission line project (TAP-500) Gurbanguly Berdi-muha-medov, his is sought to export Turkmenistan's power elec- Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, tricity to Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond. Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Meanwhile, the new fiber-optic line is expect- ed to facilitate the development of regional information and communication networks. The Serhetabat-Turgundi new railroad offers immense opportunities for connecting CHRONICLE ECO 28 External Relations

Afghanistan to the transport and logistics sys- tem of Central Asia. Upon official invitation from the Government of Turkmenistan, ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akça partici- with the Deputy Chairman of the pated in the ceremony as a Guest. Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of On the sidelines of the ceremony, the ECO Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Secretary General had a bilateral consultation Meredov on 24 February in with the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Serhetabat. Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Both sides exchanged views on the Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov on 24 forthcoming ECO Ministerial Meeting

February in Serhetabat. Both sides exchanged on Transport, expected to be held in views on the forthcoming ECO Ministerial May 2018 in Turkmenbashi port of Meeting on Transport, expected to be held in Turkmenistan, and the possibilities for May 2018 in Turkmenbashi port of enhancing the role of Turkmenistan in Turkmenistan, and the possibilities for ECO activities. enhancing the role of Turkmenistan in ECO activities. On the sidelines of the ceremony, the ECO Secretary General had a bilateral consultation CHRONICLE ECO 29 External Relations

President of Iran, Eshaq Jahangiri and the Vice-President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla. ECO In his opening remarks, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, recalled the founding principles of the organization and highlighted the SG huge capacities and resources of the 8 Member Countries and the existing attends potential for expansion of coopera- tion among them. He particularly underscored the need for trade facili- tation among Member Countries and expressed his conviction that ECO ECO Secretary Members Countries will experience a D8 CHRONICLE General, Halil significant boost in their trade if using Ibrahim Akca, participated in the their national currencies. The "9th Summit of the Developing Eight Summit approved the "Istanbul Summit Organization for Economic Declaration 2017" and "D-8 Istanbul Cooperation" which was held on 20 Plan of Action". October 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey. The "Developing Eight Organization Marking the 20th anniversary of the for Economic Cooperation", known D8 under the theme of "Expanding as the "D8", was founded by then Opportunities through Cooperation", Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin the Summit was attended by the Erbakan in 1997. Formed as an eco- President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, nomic alliance, the body consists of President of Nigeria Muhammadu Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Buhari, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, First Vice- Turkey. CHRONICLE ECO 30 External Relations

AMF Acting SG Visits ECO Secretariat

ECO as well as its future CHRONICLE prospects for regional A delegation from cooperation. Asian Mayors Forum While acknowledg- (AMF) visited the ing the need for ECO Secretariat in cooperation and Tehran on 23 January interaction among 2018 and met with cities in the Region, ECO Secretary ECO Secretary General, Halil General particularly Ibrahim Akca. The referred to priority delegation was head- areas for regional ed by the AMF cooperation among Acting Secretary the ECO Member General, Goshtasb States and highlighted Mozafari. the relevant ECO During the meeting, Mr. platforms for possible coopera- Mozaffari touched on the tion between ECO and AMF. many issues that urban Two sides agreed to continue development projects face in further discussions with a today's world. view to elaborating ways and He raised the possibility of means for possible coopera- cooperation among ECO tion. The Asian Mayors Forum cities on major areas such as is a Tehran-based organization waste and traffic management; with the aim of facilitating coop- public transportation, etc. eration among Asian municipali- Mr. Akca briefed the guests ties. AMF includes 35 about ECO's history, goals and Member Cities from the ECO objectives, mandates and Region. potential capacities CHRONICLE ECO 31 External Relations

ECO SG ECO ECO asserted that any CHRONICLE Secretary attends attempt for wider con- General, Halil Ibrahim nectivity within Asia can- Akca, represented the not be successful unless Organization in the 7th Heart of Afghanistan is stable and Ministerial Conference peaceful country, as geo- of the Heart of Asia- graphically it is at the Istanbul Process held on Asia- heart of Asia. 1st of December 2017 The ECO Secretary in Baku. General also held a During his inaugural meeting with Executive speech, the President of Istanbul Director-Designate of the Republic of the CICA (Conference Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on Interaction and said his country regards Process Confidence Building the "Heart of Asia - Measures in Asia) Gong Istanbul Process" as a meeting Jianwei, where two sides valuable mechanism of discussed issues of com- dialogue and coopera- mon interest. tion for attaining peace, in Baku The Secretary General reconciliation, security congratulated him on his and economic develop- election and stressed on ment of Afghanistan. the need to synergize the efforts of ECO and In his statement delivered during the CICA Secretariats in the areas of transport, Conference, the ECO Secretary General reas- environment, and tourism. sured delegates of ECO's support for the aims The Secretary General also held an informal and objectives of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul meeting with the outgoing Executive Director Process. of CICA Çinar Aldemir and lauded his efforts While stressing on the importance of connec- for making CICA an effective forum for promot- tivity towards regional prosperity, Mr. Akca ing dialogue and cooperation in the region. CHRONICLE ECO 32 External Relations

organizations, including UN agencies, as well as a number of public organizations attended the Conference.

ECO On the In his statement, ECO Secretary General CHRONICLE invitation of highlighted the Islamic Republic of the Governments of Afghanistan's engagement in regional activi- Turkmenistan and the ties sponsored by the Economic Islamic Republic of Cooperation Organization since its acces- Afghanistan, the ECO sion to ECO in 1992. He also assured the Secretary General, Halil Government of the Islamic Republic of Ibrahim Akca, attended the Afghanistan of the full support of ECO for 7th Regional Economic the national, regional and global activities Cooperation Conference on aiming at securing higher rate of economic Afghanistan (RECCA-VII) growth for Afghanistan and more prosperity held on 14-15 November for its people and expressed readiness to 2017 in Ashgabat. The share with potential partners from outside ECO SG attends Regional Afghanistan Conference in Ashgabat

Conference was aimed to the Region ECO’s capacities to help imple- further strengthen and ment development-friendly programmes for enhance regional economic Afghanistan. cooperation in support of During the Conference, “Transit and sustainable development Transport Cooperation Agreement” (Lapis and stability in Afghanistan Lazuli Route Agreement) between the and across the wider region. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Representatives from thirty Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the six countries representing Republic of Turkey and Turkmenistan was Asia, Europe, North and signed. The transport corridor is designed South America, Oceania, to increase the economic integration of the twenty-eight international region and increase the volume of trade. As an outcome of the Conference, the partici- pants unanimously adopted the “RECCA VII Declaration”. CHRONICLE ECO 33 External Relations

ECO SG attends Security & Sustainable Development Conference in Samarkand

On the invitation ECO CHRONICLE of the Government of Uzbekistan, ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, partic- ipated in the “International High- level Conference on Security and Sustainable Development in Central Asia” held on 10-11 November 2017 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Conference was aimed at dis- cussing economic, ecological, and cultural and security issues faced by Central Asia and further increas- ing the cooperation in the region with particular attention to the role of Afghanistan in the region.

During his statement to the ses- sion, ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, highlighted the importance of Central Asia in terms and organized crimes. of geographical location and abun- Afghanistan's importance was also highlighted as it is dance of rich and varied energy a country whose five out of six neighbors are ECO resources and the successes of the members and the economic development and stabil- Central Asian Countries in terms of ity of the Country carry importance for the whole creating conducive economic poli- ECO Region. cy environment. Mr. Akca empha- sized that ECO is pursuing sus- Secretary General concluded his statement by tained economic growth and sus- pointing out that Central Asia is not only a geographi- tainable development through cal and geopolitical region but also constitutes a sin- regional cooperation and harmo- gle cultural and civilized space. Because of these rich nization across a wide spectrum of and common cultural values, there is a reason to be areas and sectors, as they are also hopeful that collective and individual efforts by all crucial for preventing suffering regional countries would promote sustainable devel- from menaces of insecurity, drugs opment, peace, and stability in Central Asia. CHRONICLE ECO 34 External Relations

SG, Uzbekistan Foreign Trade Minister meet in Samarkand

ECO Secretary General, ECO CHRONICLE Halil Ibrahim Akca, met the Minister of Foreign Trade of Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr. Ganiev Elyor Magidovitch on 11 November 2017, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During the meeting ECO, which took place on the sidelines of the "International High-level Conference on Security and Sustainable Development in Central Asia", Mr. Akca commended the TEPAV recent development of ECO relations with Uzbekistan and briefed Mr. Magidovitch on the importance of the 28th ECO Regional Sign MoU Planning Council (RPC) meeting to be held from 11 to 14 December 2017 in Islamabad. The Secretary General expressed hope that ECO The Economic Cooperation the Minister could attend the meeting. CHRONICLE Organization (ECO) and The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 February 2018. ECO Secretary General Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akça and TEPAV Managing Director, Güven Sak, signed the document in a ceremony held in TEPAV in Ankara. On the sidelines of the Event, both officials also discussed ways and means for cooperation. TEPAV is a think-tank established by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). It became oper- ational in December 2004 with the goal of conducting research and policy development in economic and social fields. CHRONICLE ECO 35 External Relations

ECO Economic CHRONICLE Cooperation ECO, Organization (ECO) and Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) signed a SESRIC Memorandum of Understanding on 16 January 2018. ECO Secretary General Ambassador sign Halil Ibrahim Akça and SESRIC Director General Ambassador Musa Kulaklikaya signed the docu- ment in a ceremony held in the MoU ECO Secretariat in Tehran. On the sidelines of the Event, both officials also discussed ways and means for cooperation, including through implementation of the MoU. Based in Ankara, Republic of Turkey, SES- RIC started its activities in 1978 as the subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It functions in three areas of i) development and countries with a view to enhancing dissemination of socio-economic co-operation among them; and iii) statistics; ii) study and evaluation organization of training pro- of the economic and social devel- grammes in the fields of interest to opments in the OIC member the member countries. CHRONICLE ECO 36 External Relations ECO SG attends International Trans Eurasia Conference in Astana

ECO ECO Secretary General, Halil Ibrahim Akca, participated in the "10th CHRONICLE Trans Eurasia International Conference on Transport and Transit Potential", hosted by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Investments and Development on 2nd November 2017 in Astana. About 300 participants from the Eurasian countries, repre- senting public and private sectors and transport sector, diplomatic corps in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and regional and international organizations, financial institutions, trans- port associations, and companies were present in the Conference. ECO Secretary General delivered a statement to the high-level audience elaborating on ECO's transit transport related activities. The Conference adopted its final Resolution where, inter alia, efforts of ECO on streamlining regional transport connectivity and trade facilitation mechanisms, including initiatives on commercialization of the railway connecting Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran (KTI), have been welcomed. On the sidelines of the Conference, ECO Secretary General met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov, where two sides reviewed relations between ECO and Republic of Kazakhstan. Minister Abdrakhmanov appreciated ECO's role, including its transport-related activi- ties, in contributing to the economic development of its member countries and expressed support to ECO's Vision-2025 and reform process. He also awarded to Ambassador Akca a Commemorative Medal on the occasion of 25th Anniversary of the Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan. CHRONICLE ECO 37 External Relations

ECO Secretariat

The Transnational ECO CHRONICLE ECO attends Transport Corridors" Secretariat took part and "Developing in the 33rd Ministerial Special Transnational Session of the 33rd Transport Corridors". Standing Committee He also had delibera- for Economic and tions with high-level Commercial COMCEC representatives of Cooperation of the COMCEC, SESRIC, D- Organization of the Ministerial 8, and OTIF on the Islamic Cooperation sidelines of the which was held in Session. Istanbul on November Session The Ministerial 20-23, 2017. The Working Session of Ministers and high-level representatives of the COMCEC was held under the the Member States, as well as high-level rep- Chairmanship of the Minister of resentatives of the international and regional Development of the Republic of Turkey. organizations, attended the Ministerial Ministers and Heads of delegations of Session on the "Development of Trans- Member Countries made presentations on Border Transport Corridors in the OIC their country experiences with regard to Member Countries". transnational transport corridors. As an out- ECO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Kanan come of the Ministerial Session, the partici- Nazarov, participated in the Special Sessions pants adopted the Resolution of the 33rd on the themes of "Private Sector Perspective Session of COMCEC and Ministerial on Transnational Transport Corridors", Declaration on Improving Transnational "Governance of Transnational Transport Transport Corridors in the OIC Member Corridors", "Economic Impacts of States. CHRONICLE ECO 38 External Relations

ICRC Tehran Chief visits ECO Secretariat

ECO ECO General briefed the guests about ECO's history, CHRONICLE Deputy goals, and objectives, mandates, and potential Secretary General, Mr. Seyed capacities as well as the future prospects for Jalaledin Alavi Sabzevari met regional cooperation as envisaged in "ECO with the head of Vision 2025" and other instruments. International Committee of He particularly referred to regional coopera- the Red Cross (ICRC) tion on disaster risk management and reduction Mission in Iran, Ms. and highlighted the comprehensiveness of Florence Gillette on 1 the recently finalized "ECO Regional November 2017 at the Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction ECO Secretariat (ECO-RFDRR) which addresses in Tehran. preparedness, response and Ms. Gillette, recovery aspects of disasters. Mr. who was Alavi also recalled some ECO accompanied partnerships with international by ICRC Diplomatic organizations from within and outside the Advisor in Geneva, UN system and emphasized that such Nicholas Hawton, partnerships are made where contribu- briefed the ECO official tions to the national efforts by the Member about ICRC's global initia- States can be envisaged. tives and activities covering Also present at the meeting was ECO DRR disaster preparedness and International Consultant, Mr. Mahmudul Islam, response as well as activities who discussed the different components of the in health and education ECO Regional Framework for DRR, including its areas. flagship programmes to be implemented She also referred to some through partnerships with relevant organizations examples where ICRC has from within and outside the region. played a pivotal role in the Two sides agreed to continue further discus- humanitarian support and sions with a view to elaborating ways and lawmaking. means to assist implementation of the ECO The ECO Deputy Secretary Regional Framework for DRR. CHRONICLE ECO 39 External Relations ECO Region marks UN Disaster Reduction International Day General, Seyed Jalaledin Alavi Sabzevari who addressed the audience on activities of their relevant organizations and the importance of the UN International Day. The event continued its pro- ceedings with a roundtable dis- cussion attended by Executive Director of Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), In the end, a video message ECO ECO Mr. Hans Guttman, UNDP CHRONICLE Member Turkey Country Director, Mr. by the Special Representative States and partner organiza- Claudio Tomasi, and Deputy of the Secretary-General tions celebrated the "UN UNHCR Representative in (SRSG) for Disaster Risk International Day for Disaster Turkey, Mr. Jean-Marie Garelli, Reduction Mr. Robert Glasser, Reduction" on 13th October who highlighted the impor- was displayed. 2017 in Ankara in a befitting tance of awareness of disaster In parallel, AFAD organized a manner. The ECO Secretariat risk reduction. They also national event where hundreds and Disaster and Emergency shared with the audience the of school students, teachers, Management Authority (AFAD) relevant activities of their and a large number of disaster of Republic of Turkey jointly organizations as regard disaster and emergency stakeholders organized the event. reduction, particularly in terms got together at the AFAD The event was inaugurated of reducing the number of the premises engaging in activities, by Deputy President of AFAD, affected people, which is the exercises and simulations Hamza TASDELEN, and the theme of this year UN focusing on the slogan of ECO Deputy Secretary International Day. "Home Safe Home". CHRONICLE ECO 40 External Relations

ECO Secretariat attends UN Environment Assembly

ECO The Third Session of CHRONICLE the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) was convened on 4-6 December 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya under the overarching theme Towards a Pollution-Free Planet. UNEA-3 brought together over 4,300 delegates, including heads of state, min- isters and other delegates from more than 170 Member States, UN officials, inter-governmental organizations, busi- ness leaders, civil society representa- tives, activists, and celebrities.

ECO Director of Energy, Minerals, and Environment, Fuad Farzalibeyov partici- pated in the High-Level Segment of UNEA-3. On the sidelines of the Event, he met with the officials of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), notably with Chief Scientist and enhancing environmentally sound and Director of Science Division, Jian Liu renewable energy services and and the Director of Europe Office, Jan resources, capacity building in environ- Dusik. mental law, environmental education, During the course of the meetings, ecotourism and supporting environmen- ECO Secretariat and UNEP deliberated tal assessment services. on UNEP’s possible contribution to the the first State of Environment (SoE) UNEA is the world’s highest-level deci- Report for the ECO Region which seeks sion-making body on the environment to serve as a solid basis for any regional and addresses the critical environmental plan of action on the preservation of challenges facing the world. the environment in the region. Understanding these challenges and ECO-UNEP MoU was signed in August preserving and rehabilitating the envi- 2004 to institutionalize cooperation in ronment is at the heart of the 2030 environmental matters, particularly on Agenda for Sustainable Development. CHRONICLE ECO 41 42 ECO CHRONICLE Relations External attended inthisexhibition. resentatives fromover21countries Tourism RelatedIndustries.Also,rep- Travel InsuranceCompaniesandother Organization, Travel Agencies,Hotels, of IranCulturalHeritageandTourism 23-26 Jan2018withtheparticipation International permanentfairgroundon Industries washeldattheTehran Exhibition ofTourism andRelated The ECOSecretariatparticipatedin CHRONICLE ECO International The 11thTehran Exhibition Tourism International attends Tehran ECO SG internationally. duce thecapacitiesofprovinces handicrafts, isanopportunitytointro- providingartsand music anddancing, Tourism Organization. authorities ofCulturalHeritageand and meettherelevantprovincial the varioussectionsofexhibition Tourism, Mr. MemduhUnal,visiting Director forAgriculture,Industry, and international Exhibitionwiththe the inaugurationdayofthisfour-day This exhibitionbyperforminglocal External Relations

the 28th Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference. ECO Secretariat’s delegation headed by Director of Energy, Minerals, and Environment, Fuad Farzalibeyov, participated ECO The Economic in the Ministerial Session as an observer and made its contri- CHRONICLE Cooperation bution in the panel on "Diversifying energy resources and Organization took part in the 28th transit routes in the international energy markets". During the Energy Charter Conference (ECC) on session, Mr. Farzalibeyov highlighted underscored that diver- 28-29 November 2017 in Ashgabat, sification of energy supply routes and sources play a funda- Turkmenistan, which brought together mental role in the ECO Region given its unique geostrategic both the new and the existing member location, as well as the land-locked status of the majority of countries of the Energy Charter and the ECO Member States. He further briefed the audience on provided an opportunity for mobilizing the initiative of the establishment of ECO Regional Electricity support towards the full implementation Market (ECO-REM) and track of cooperation between ECO of the principles of the Energy and ECC. Charter. The ECO delegation also met with Deputy During the Ministerial Session Secretary General of Global Energy Interconnection the subject of “Mobilizing Development and Cooperation Organization (GEID- ECO Secretariat attends the 28th Energy Charter Conference

investment for sustainable ener- CO), Cheng Zhiqiang and the Principal Coordinator gy future and diversified trans- of the International Energy Charter (IEC) Secretariat, portation routes” was open for Marat Terterov. The Energy Charter’s possible sup- discussion for all observers, international port to ongoing ECO initiative on the establishment of ECO- organizations, and the private sector. REM was high on the agenda with both sides committing to The Meeting deliberated on the overall further relations for the development of ECO-REM initiative. global energy issues, including two- During the delegations meeting with Turkey’s Deputy panel sessions on “Modernization of the General Director of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Energy Charter Treaty” and “Diversifying Resources, Öztürk Selvitop, the arrangements for the 4th energy resources and transit routes in ECO Ministerial Meeting on Energy/Petroleum and the 3rd the international energy markets and Iran-Turkey Bilateral Meeting on the establishment of ECO approved the concluding document of Regional Electricity Market and the Terms of Reference (ToR) on hiring international and local consultants for preparation of a Feasibility Study on the establishment of ECO Regional Electricity Market were discussed. CHRONICLE ECO 43 Op-ed Geo-economic Importance of a New Project within the ECO Region

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Gorbanov The Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Tehran

he third decade of February Turkmenistan that marks an impor- 2018 will be considered as a tant milestone on the path of fur- new bright page inscribed ther development of integration with golden letters in the processes in the region and inter- Tglorious history of Neutral national cooperation in a wider CHRONICLE ECO 44 Op-ed

very day, the Serhetabat (Turkmenistan) - Turgundi (Afghanistan) Railroad was also commissioned which will serve perspective. Particularly, it is the purpose of inaugurating the Prime Minister of the Islamic clear that this process will posi- famous Lapiz-Lazuli transport Republic of Pakistan Shahid tively reflect on stability, serve corridor through Turkmenistan Hakan Abbasi, and Minister of the interests of the world peace as part of its commitment to State for External Affairs of and progress, as well as allow integrating Afghanistan to other India Mobashar Javed Akbar Turkmenistan to not only diver- economic development pro- participated in the solemn cer- sify its natural gas exports grams and initiatives. emony. routes but equally national economy. President of Turkmenistan The giant Galkynysh natural Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, gas field is the origin of the Groundbreaking ceremony of President of the Islamic TAPI gas pipeline with proven February 23 took place in the Republic of Afghanistan reserves of 26.2 trillion cubic cities of Serhedabad Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, meters, which is the second (Turkmenistan) and Herat largest reservoir of the world (Afghanistan) devoted to the that contains ecologically beginning of the next stage clean and green energy. It of construction of the The giant should be emphasized that Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Galkynysh natural the implementation of this Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas project, in addition to pipeline, the 500 kV Power gas field, with 26.2 addressing modern chal- Transmission Line and Fiber- trillion cubic meters lenges of economic and Optic Cable along the of reserves, is the social development in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- origin of the TAPI region, should ultimately play a crucial role in meeting Pakistan (TAP) route. On the gas pipeline CHRONICLE ECO 45 Op-ed

Serhetabat-Turgundi Railway is yet another testimony to the commitment of the Turkmen people to fraternal ties with the goals of strengthening glob- neighboring countries and will current and future generations." al sustainable development. definitely boost Afghanistan's Primarily, the TAPI project is a access to the outer world in a This in effect shows how vehicle to create thousands of similar pattern of the Kerki- Turkmenistan offers its peace- new jobs in the stakeholder Akkina Rail Link and brighten keeping capital to the service of countries, members of this its chances of exporting agricul- mankind, and along with the largest project in the history of tural products, carpets and path of creation as per the the entire region with ever- other goods, hence giving hope vision of the Honorable growing energy demand. to millions of Afghans to lead President of Turkmenistan the path of reconstruction and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov As per the project's objectives, rehabilitation. Eventually, these of these projects they will con- after commission, the new projects along with the TAPI tribute to the strengthening of pipeline with the total length of Gas Pipeline, Power friendship, good-neighborliness 1,814 kilometers will supply and establishment of new 33 billion cubic meters of alliances based on shared Turkmen natural gas that will interests of mutually benefi- reduce dependence on less cial and equal partnerships friendly means of fossils, thus Turkmenistan with neighboring countries drastically changing the highly values its and around the world. regional carbon footprint. relations with all With solid economic foun- With a pipe diameter of members of the dation and the GDP growth 1,420 millimeters (or 56 Economic rate at 6.5% in 2017, which inches), the project spans Cooperation exceeds 2016 data by 0.3%, through the region with 214 Organization. Turkmenistan currently heav- kilometers in Turkmenistan, ily invests in its own infra- 744 kilometers through structure development with Afghanistan, 826 kilometers about 1,700 large projects through Pakistan while end- worth over 42 billion US ing at the township of Fazilka in Transmission Line and Fiber- dollars are being implemented north-western India. As the Optic Communication Line, within central government's Turkmen proverb vividly beyond serving the above development programmes. explains - "A true neighbor hur- expected objectives of sustain- Turkmenbashy Sea Port as the ries to help, without waiting for able development with far- Gateway to Central Asia is the a call," Turkmenistan since reaching consequences on the leading project among all oth- Independence has repeatedly everyday life of millions of peo- ers and will be operationalized provided humanitarian aid to ple across several borders, must in May this year. its brotherly neighbor, be looked at as a backbone of Afghanistan. Turkmenistan's commitment In 2017 Turkmenistan contin- towards implementation of ued its proactive engagement Construction of the new Istanbul Process's Infrastructure both politically and with the Projects where Ashgabat along with Baku is leading. And as the President of Turkmenistan underlined, "This makes us confident in the future of both CHRONICLE ECO 46 Op-ed

global economic system and even greater highs in overall United Nations is also gearing maintained foreign trade rela- development. up with its preparations to cele- tions with 119 countries of the Turkmenistan highly values its brate it with much enthusiasm world. The largest trading part- relations with all the countries and joy as our ancestors did for ners were China, Turkey, UAE, of the region, who are mainly quite some time. Since then Iran, Italy, and Russia, which members of the Economic Nowruz became an integral accounted for about 77% of Cooperation Organization and part of our culture. Back in my foreign trade turnover. attach great importance to their home country Turkmenistan, Among the major achieve- further development and pros- the National Spring Holiday - ments of Turkmenistan in 2017 perity. We are confident that the International Holiday of was undoubtedly successful joint efforts of the Member- Nowruz Bayramy will be cele- hosting of the AIMAG-V, or the States in pursuing constructive brated on March 21-22 in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial dialogue will qualitatively "Nowruz Ýaýlasynyn Ak Öýi" Arts Games, in Ashgabat. enrich it with new content. complex in Nowruz Valley, at Beyond being an extraordinary The International Day of the foothills of the Kopet-Dag sporting event of such a magni- Nowruz is steadfastly approach- Mountains, near Ashgabat. tude in the history of the ing. It is our common holiday This brings me to the point to Neutral Turkmenistan AIMAG-V that transcended all boundaries utilize this opportunity and to was a unique opportunity not and time. We all look at this congratulate all your readers, as only to showcase Turkmenistan occasion as a time to share our well as the entire people of the to the global stage but equally wishes of wellbeing, prosperity region this wonderful holiday of it was a statement that the and do more of good deeds for Nowruz! I wish you all the best country is capable to achieve the future of our relations in the New Year! among our communities, coun- tries, and regions. Turkmenistan as the country who supported the idea of the recognition of Nowruz at the CHRONICLE ECO 47 48 ECO CHRONICLE T ECO Fund What Isthe 7th ECOSummiton14 was stronglysupportedbythe October 2002inIstanbuland (COM) meetingheldin 12th CouncilofMinisters Afghanistan wasagreedatthe Papers Reconstruction of participation in Special Fund forECO he establishmentofa possible through supporting reconstructionanddevelopment inAfghanistan.possible throughsupporting createabetterfuture.Thiscanbemade which fuelthedriveforassistingcountry peoplehavecreatedforces profound solidarityofMemberStatestowardstheAfghan ECO MemberStates(Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan andUzbekistan),the neighborsare (ECO)in1992.ThefactthatfiveoutofsixAfghanistan's Organization joined EconomicCooperation intheworld.Afghanistan 42nd mostpopulouscountry intheworld.Ithasapopulationofapproximately32million, country largest the covers652,000km2,the41st Itsterritory andChinainthefarnortheast. north; the southandeast;Iraninwest;Turkmenistan, UzbekistanandTajikistan inthe The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country borderedbyPakistan isalandlockedcountry in ofAfghanistan The IslamicRepublic and ablockwithinthe school inBamyanProvince hospital inFaryab Province,a construction ofamaternity Representatives, namely, the cessive CouncilofPermanent four projectsapprovedbysuc- mence theimplementationof ed thesecretariattocom- ment oftheSFRAandinstruct- the modalitiesforestablish- 2004, Dushanbe)approved 14th COM(September12, October 2002inIstanbul.The for Recons flict haveleftalongstanding three decadesofwarandcon- highly relevantasmorethan bilitation oftheKabulZoo. Mazang Public Park andreha- to theconstructionofDeh (MRRD) inKabul,addition Training andResearchCenter Ministry ofRural Rehabilitation The Fund wasdeemedas Papers

Republic of Azerbaijan). In 2014, a new list of proj- ects was proposed by Afghanistan to be funded by mark on Afghanistan's eco- ECO fund. The 25th RPC in the Fund's performance and to nomic infrastructure. In addi- 2015 also took note of the develop a new ECO advocacy tion, there has been a strong financial and executive issues approach for Afghanistan realization among the interna- of the completed and ongoing including new possible mis- tional community and the projects and requested the sions for Fund. Member States for the need to member states that have not With the exception of a stabilize the Afghanistan econ- transferred their pledges to the school project, to-date, the omy and to help, through ECO SFRA as yet, to do so, other 3 projects have been reconstruction work, early set- enabling the secretariat to completed. The construction of tlement of displaced Afghan complete the ongoing projects a school in Bamyan Province is people and refugees returning and to initiate new projects, as still unfinished pending final from other countries. report by the relevant The main purpose of the authorities in Afghanistan. Fund was to "be utilized for There was also a large list financing Afghanistan's pri- of proposed projects which ority projects and any other fell short of financial activity requested by resources available through Government of Afghanistan the Fund. in connection with recon- In light of the current sit- struction of Afghanistan on uation, ECO Heads of a case by case basis". The States have mandated the total pledges by the ECO Secretariat to develop Member States to the Fund a comprehensive Advocacy were US$ 11,150,000. This Programme, which will be comprises US$ 5 million by approved in the 23rd

Mohammad Akbar Azizi ECO Staff truction of Afghanistan Pakistan, US$ 5 million by Turkey, US$ 1 million by Iran and US$ 150,000 by the and Why It Matters Republic of Azerbaijan. An submitted and followed up by Council of Ministers (COM) amount of US$ 3,550,000 was relevant authorities of the Meeting in Dushanbe, realized and transferred to the Islamic Republic of Republic of Tajikistan. Fund (US$ 2 million by Afghanistan. Accordingly, the Pakistan, US$ 400,000 by Council requested the ...... Turkey, US$ 1 million by Iran, Secretariat to convene a spe- 1Modality for the Establishment and and US$ 150,000 by the cial meeting on Afghanistan Operationalization of ECO Fund For with the participation of Reconstruction of Afghanistan. Afghan authorities, Fund's donors and other interested ECO Member States to review CHRONICLE ECO 49 Papers

The Economic Cooperation Organization & Sustainable Human Development

Ugur Kilicarsalan, Director for Human Resources and Sustainable Development Maryam Torabi, ECO Staff

rom its designation at rent generation are met while considering the the World Conservation wants of the future generation. Despite differ- Strategy in 1980, the ences on what precisely is considered sustain- main objective of able and how to put the very F sustainable notion into operation, states development has and international organizations been a state of strive to eradicate poverty society where while assisting the wise use of resources and liv- natural resources. ing conditions con- The Economic Cooperation tinue to meet human Organization (ECO) has for needs without under- more than five decades mining the integrity and thrived to become a driver of stability of the natural system. global economic growth through regional coop- In other words, sustainability eration. The Organization's Directorate for or sustainable development Human Resources and Sustainable can be met through economic Development (HRSD) deals with the matters and social development in a relating to human resource development, social way that the needs of the cur- development, health, disaster risk reduction, CHRONICLE ECO 50 Papers and civil registration. Moreover, the ECO Vision States has been recognized in 2025,which seeks to assist the Organization in most of the ECO Summits since achieving its objectives by supporting Member 2006. The annual ECO States to realize their own sustainable plans, has International Conferences on mandated the Directorate to help increase stan- Disaster Risk Reduction are dard of living, quality of life, economic welfare among the leading events to and well being of the people of the region discuss enhanced regional through adopting social protection and environ- cooperation based on experi- ment preservation policies within member ences gained by the national states. disaster risk reduction strate- In a world where climate change is projected gies/institutions in the ECO to increase in frequency and intensity, Disaster Member Risk Management has gained center stage at the States as Organization. The ECO Region is one of the well most disaster-prone regions of the world. Most countries in the Region are highly vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, land- slides, and drought. Over the past two decades, there has been a steady increase in the incidence rate of disasters in the ECO Region. During 2000-2015, about The ECO Vision 333 natural disasters 2025 calls for the were reported in ECO adoption of social Region that cumulative- protection and ly affected more than 70 million people. The environment majority of the 470 mil- preservation policies lion ECO Region's within Member inhabitants live in the States moderate to very high risks earthquake hazard areas. In 2005, Governments around the world committed to taking action to reduce disaster risk, and adopted a guideline to reduce vulnerabilities to natural hazards, called the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). As the Framework requires, disaster risk reduc- as tion has to be integrated into sustainable devel- the rele- opment policies. ECO Member States respond- vant interna- ed quickly to the global Disaster Risk tional processes. Since 2006, Management agenda in 2005 by organizing seven of such conferences have regional events to for information sharing, dis- been organized in Turkey, semination of DRR education materials, and Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, advocacy for policy change. The importance of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and DRR cooperation among the ECO Member Republic of Azerbaijan respec- CHRONICLE ECO 51 Papers

tively where the need for a that responsibility should be shared with other more focused and action-ori- stakeholders including local governments, the ented cooperation roadmap private sector and other stakeholders including emerged. The 8th conference regional organizations. The SFDRR also calls for will hopefully be organized in the adoption and implementation of national, Turkey this year. sub-national, local and regional disaster risk The ECO Secretariat is follow- reduction policies, strategies and plans, across ing Disaster Related matters different timescales, with targets, indicators, and globally, becoming an appreci- timeframes. ated player in global efforts on Disaster Risk Reduction. The In line with its Framework responsibilities, the first major Economic Cooperation Organization finalized agreement the ECO Regional Framework for Disaster Risk of the Reduction (ECORFDRR). The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) hosted the 2nd Experts Group Meeting for final- ization of ECO Regional Framework for DRR on 11-12 October 2017 in Ankara. In a joint ECO-AFAD programme on 13th October 2017, the "International Day for Disaster Reduction" was commemorated by The 2017 ECO Member State officials Framework for and representatives Disaster Risk and relevant regional and international Reduction today organizations. serves to reduce the The ECO Framework impact of disasters in for Disaster Risk the region. Reduction today serves to reduce the impact of disasters through fostering more efficient plan- ning, creating common information systems and exchanging good practices and programmes for cooperation and capacity development. It also seeks to address common and trans-boundary disaster risks and assisting Member States in developing and post- implementing the right approaches and sound 2015 policies "to jointly respond to disaster emergen- development agenda, the cies" through concerted national efforts and Sendai Framework for Disaster intensified regional cooperation. Risk Reduction 2015-2030 Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well- (Sendai Framework), recognizes being for all at all ages is considered as an addi- that the State has the primary tional key aspect of Sustainable Development. role to reduce disaster risk but Increasing life expectancy and reducing some of CHRONICLE ECO 52 Papers the common killers associated with child and E-Government. The Educational maternal mortality, along with access to clean and research co-operation was water and sanitation, while addressing many dif- also on the meeting's agenda. ferent persistent and emerging health issues are The 2nd Meeting of the ECO essential to sustainable development. Heads of National Recognizing its significance, the ECO Member Organizations for Civil States have to date convened three Ministerial Registration on the 17 October Meetings on the issue. The 3rd ECO Health 2017, in Istanbul, provided Ministerial Meeting was held on the sidelines of another timely opportunity for 69th World Health Assembly in May 2016 in the Member States to agree on Geneva, where the Member States represented possible regional arrangements in the meeting expressed their wishes to closely on civil registration cooperation. cooperate on streamlining the draft Plan of The Organization believes that Action on Health Cooperation in ECO Region. the objective of any ECO The Economic Cooperation Organization is the regional supporting programme most relevant regional framework in this part of in civil registration should be to the world where global and regional attempts assist the Member States in can be accumulated in the interests of the developing capacities to operate Membership to fulfil 2015 development agen- and maintain the fundamental da. systems of civil registration and Understanding the concept that humans are vital statistics in a coordinated the real wealth of a nation, the Organization manner. This may include pub- has placed priority on the concept of Human lishing subject-specific hand- Development. The notion of Human books on civil registration and Development essentially involves a long and vital statistics systems; organizing healthy life as possible, access to education that the regional workshops on the enables filling an attractive job and access to a improvement of civil registration wide range of goods and services. In the con- and vital statistics; best-practice text of sustainability, as the activities of human sharing programmes; etc. beings are inherently dependent on the sur- The implementation of ECO rounding environment and resources and the Vision and the Sustainable quality of their lives relies on the health, social Development Goals is a timely security and economic stability of their society. opportunity for the Member The First Meeting of Heads of National Civil States to reconsider their priori- Registration Organizations of ECO Member ties. The establishment of the States was held on 3-4 October 2011 in Tehran. HRSD Directorate shows the The objective of the Meeting was to provide an awareness of the importance of opportunity for the ECO Member States to the human development of the exchange their experiences on important issues Member States which can only related to civil registration and associated servic- be effective through the com- es. Participants also shared experiences and mitment of the Member States. best practices in their respective countries on Now the Onus is on us to areas such as registration of vital events; pro- demonstrate our collective com- duction and release of population statistics and mitment towards eradicating information; National Codes and Smart Cards; poverty, achieving sustainable promotion of safety and security factors for development and building a issued documents; civil status registration and better future for all. CHRONICLE ECO 53 Papers

Tourism Trends in ECO Region Memduh Unal Director for Agriculture, Industry and Tourism

Introduction fastest-growing eco- Tourism has played nomic sectors. All an increasingly impor- around the world, tant role in the eco- an ever-increasing nomic growth of number of destina- many countries since tions have opened the beginning of the up to, and invested new millennium. in tourism, turning it Over the past six into a key driver of decades, tourism has socio-economic experienced sustained progress through the expansion and diver- creation of jobs and sification throughout enterprises, export the world. In this revenues, and infra- period, it has become structure develop- one of the largest and ment. CHRONICLE ECO 54 Papers

Thanks to their high income, traditional inter- national traveler sources namely North America, and Europe, have been an attractive source for international tourism service suppliers. In recent years East Asia and especially China have been added to the picture with their increasing income and population. From 2012 China has been the leader in the international tourism expenditures. Another interesting UNWTO finding is that most of the international tourists travel within their own region, preferring to visit neighboring countries instead of travelling to a more distant country. UNWTO's long-term forecast report "Tourism Towards 2030" forecasts that with an annual increase of 4.4 percent average for emerging destinations and 2.2 percent increase for advanced destinations, tourist arrivals will peak at 1.8 billion travelers in 2030. In other words, it is estimated that emerging destinations in the tourism industry will receive the lion's share of tourists in comparison to the advanced destina- tions.

Figures and Trends According to the estimates by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism has experienced virtually an uninterrupt- ed growth over time, despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the sector's strength and resilience. International tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million globally in 1950 to 278 million in 1980, 674 million in 2000, and 1,235 million in 2016. Parallel to these develop- ments, international tourism receipts earned by destinations worldwide have raised from 2 bil- lion dollars in 1950 to 104 billion dollars in 1980, 495 billion dollars in 2000, and 1.2 tril- lion dollars in 2016. The developments in tourism have reflected significant figures includ- ing that the 7 percent of world exports and 10 per- cent of world income are arising from this indus- try. Moreover, the tourism industry has increased faster than world trade and economy for the past five years. According to the latest figures, more than every one out of ten jobs in the world economy is in the tourism sector. CHRONICLE ECO 55 Papers

Tourism in ECO Region Road. Moreover, ECO region is located The ECO Region with an area of more than 8 between two important global tourism markets million square kilometers stretching from cen- i.e. Europe and China. tral to the south and south-west Asia and a The number of tourists visiting ECO region in population of around 465 million inhabitants is 2016 is around 50 million people which con- well-known for its natural beauty, as well as the stitutes 3.8 percent of total global tourist diversity of its historical and cultural heritage. arrivals. This is also reflected in the tourism- In this respect, the region has a significant related revenues of the region which implies potential to be one of the major tourist desti- that the region as a whole attracts only 2.4 nations in the world. percent of the world total international tourism Moreover, the Region is one of the world's expenditures. Unfortunately, with respect to richest in terms of historical and cultural her- the Region's potential and population, this ratio itage and echoes ancient memories of the Silk is relatively modest. CHRONICLE ECO 56 Papers

The direct contribution of tourism expendi- bution of tourism expenditures to national tures to the national income in ECO Region is economies in 2016 amounted to around 150 more than 50 billion dollars. The total contri- billion dollars. CHRONICLE ECO 57 58 ECO CHRONICLE World Travel and mentioned year. aforementioned the regionfor than intherestof Turkey arehigher Azerbaijan and tributions in cent. Tourism con- region was6.5per- ratio forECO Nevertheless, this industries. tourism andrelated accounted for cent ofGDP more than10per- average. In2016 expenditures totheGDParelowerthanWorld figures ofthetotalcontributiontourism region isclosetotheWorld average.However, According tothe Average directcontributiontoGDPinECO Papers employed intourismandtraveleconomy directly and6.5millionindividualsindirectly 2016 sawmorethan3millionindividuals Tourism Council(WTTC) estimations,theyear The numberof tourism market. from international deserved share able toreceivethe ry, havenotbeen tourism, andhisto- terms ofculture, Member Statesin important ECO Iran, thetwo tourism revenues. 2016- wasfrom services exportin of totalgoodand dollars -10percent Around 37billion the ECOregion. Uzbekistan and Papers

the Member States accepted various actions and activities in order to reach this strategic objective. Implementing these actions and activities expected to result in the following listed out- comes.

i.The ECO-Tourism brand will be strength- ened in order to attract first-time and repeat visitors through effective mediums at the regional, national and international levels

ii.Silk Road tourism will be revived through cooperation with the international community and relevant organizations

iii.Visa application process will be facili- tated for the citizens of the region.

iv.Tourism activities will be diversified into various areas including; health/medical, ecological, cultural, winter, sea, mountain sports, climbing, skiing, desert and religious.

v.Utilization of electronic media will be tourists arrivals in these countries are slightly lower than expected potentials.

Tourism and ECO-Vision 2025 Despite various activities and events on tourism, the ECO Region still lacks a compre- hensive regional strategy for sustainable tourism development. Isolated activities of the Member Countries have not served the regional tourism develop- ment in general. To utilize the great potential of the region, diversification and easement of tourism activities, availability of quality services and visibility of the area is a necessary require- ment. Under these considerations during the prepa- ration of ECO-Vision 2025, tourism is accepted one of the main cooperation areas by the ECO Member States. The strategic objective of tourism is "to establish a peaceful and green tourism destination with diverse products and high quality services in the region". Moreover, CHRONICLE ECO

59 60 ECO CHRONICLE issues andrangeofmarkets to bestservethe be developedandutilizedto addressemerging strengthened. involvement inthetourismactivitieswillbe dards oftheinternationaltourismbodies. lished andimprovedincollaborationwithstan- monitoring relevantmechanismswillbeestab- bodies' and'sustainablegreentourism' Region. tourism sectorwillbeadoptedintheECO will bepromoted. development andcapacitybuildingactivities increased intourismpromotionalactivities. Papers ix.Private sectorandlocalcommunity viii.'Standardization andaccreditation vii.Relevant rulesandproceduresinthe vi.Tourism relatedhumanresources x.Diverse meansandnewsolutions will of ECOvision2025willbe implemented. utmost importancethatthe relatedprovisions develop thissectorthroughouttheregion. cant potential,theyneedtoadoptastrategy sources includingtourism,whichhasasignifi- urgently needtoearnrevenuesfromall has failedtorealizeitstourismpotential. historical, andnaturalhealthtourism,it has agreatpotentialintermsofitscultural, and indirectly. Sofar, althoughthe ECOregion ment, exportandnationalincomesdirectly throughout theworld. economic developmentinthelast60years region. ideals andgoalsofsustainabletourisminthe Tourism hasbecometheleadingsectorin In ordertoachievethisobjective, itisof Taking into accountthatECOcountries It contributesalottoemployment,invest- Conclusion