Features

UPCOMING: Consultation Meeting with the CAREC National Focal Points

The meeting will discuss the draft CAREC Integrated Trade Agenda (CITA) 2030; the implementation progress of CAREC 2030; updates on transport and energy sectors; preparations for the 17th Ministerial Conference on CAREC; and a special session on Building Climate Change Resilience through Disaster Risk Insurance in the CAREC region.

VIDEO: CAREC and its Vitality for Pakistan

Pakistan has been looking for new ways to overcome trade barriers for trade in Central Asia at the heart of increasing integrated global markets. Sustainable Development Policy Institute invited Asian Development Bank Central and West Asia Department Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Director Safdar Parvez to discuss the CAREC Program and the current standing of Pakistan in CAREC.

Let the water flow: Improved irrigation to help farming communities in Karakalpakstan

In Uzbekistan, a World Bank-supported project aims to help 1,500 private farms and 40,000 small farming households in three districts of rural South Karakalpakstan, by improving irrigation and drainage services to increase farming productivity.

How to maintain one of the world’s toughest road systems

As part of efforts to improve transport in the region, CAREC countries plan to build or repair 7,800 kilometers of roads by 2020. An integral part of this massive regional transport upgrading program is to keep the new and refurbished roads in good condition.

How the Kyrgyz Republic can become Central Asia’s electric vehicle hub

Air quality in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, is declining as more cars—among them many second-hand models from Europe, the US, and Japan—pour into the city. Electric vehicle (or EVs) could be the solution. They generate no tailpipe pollution, and most of the Kyrgyz electricity is from hydropower, so net pollution could be almost zero.

Debunking 3 myths on energy SOE reform in Central Asia, South Caucasus

How to reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the critical energy sector is one of the most important and difficult challenges for almost all governments in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Modern Farming Boosts Production in Afghanistan’s Khost Province

Farmers in southeastern Khost Province are adopting modern agricultural methods to increase farm yields and raise their earnings. They are benefiting from a national which is working to increase horticultural production and productivity across Afghanistan.

Improving Irrigation and Water Supply Helps Tajikistan’s Poorest Communities

With the overall goal of improving food security for Tajikistan’s most vulnerable communities, the World Bank launched in 2013 the Second Public Employment for Sustainable Agriculture and Water Resources Management Project.

How do deepening global, regional value chains affect national export performance?

Deepening global value chains have underpinned international trade growth in recent decades. This has also been supported by major developing economies’ incorporation into global trade mechanisms under the World Trade Organization system, and by the advancement of mass transportation through container logistics.

We need to lower health risks in SEZs. Here’s one way.

Assessing health impacts in special economic zones mitigates potential risks and enhances benefits for workers and their families.