CAREC countries agree to develop common energy strategy

On September 20, Energy Ministers of the CAREC member countries signed a joint declaration in which they pledged to develop and implement a common energy strategy CAREC-2030. 

The signing of the document took place in the capital of Uzbekistan. 

The declaration consists of ten paragraphs, and reflects the commitment of countries to develop a common energy strategy for 2030 and to cooperate in achieving UN goal number seven in the field of sustainable development, which refers to “affordable and clean energy”. 

The new CAREC-2030 energy strategy is being developed in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The goal of the strategy is to create reliable, stable, sustainable and reformed energy markets in the region by 2030 in accordance with the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.
 
“Today, the governments of Central Asian countries show great ambitions. Uzbekistan is committed to a financially and environmentally sustainable energy industry. We look forward to working with other countries of the CAREC region and international sources of capital to achieve our goals,” the Energy Minister of Uzbekistan Alisher Sultanov said.

The signatory countries also pledged to double the generation of electricity from solar and wind by 2023; implement reforms to create an investor-friendly regulatory framework to stimulate increased private sector investment; create regional financing mechanisms within CAREC.

The CAREC Program was created at the initiative of ADB in 2001. It is a partnership of 11 countries and development partners working together to promote development through cooperation leading to accelerated economic growth and shared prosperity. Member countries include Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.