Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation

Objectives and Approach

The overall objective of the CAREC Program is to promote economic growth and raise living standards by encouraging economic cooperation in the Central region. The Program has focused on financing infrastructure projects and improving the policy environment for promoting cross-border activities in the areas of transport (especially road transport), energy (including the water-energy nexus), trade policy and trade facilitation (especially customs cooperation).

The Program reflects the four strategic objectives of ADB's regional cooperation strategy for CAREC:

• securing access to profitable markets in large neighboring countries for exports from CARs
• reducing transaction costs and facilitating transit and transport across the region
• improving energy supplies for sustaining growth
• preventing negative regional outcomes such as environment degradation, desertification, human and drug trafficking, and the spread of communicable diseases

The CAREC Program follows a phased approach to ensure

• ownership by the participating countries and ADB's role as an honest broker
• effective coordination
• sustainable implementation

View Central Asia Regional Cooperation Strategy and Program Update, 2006-2008: Development Through Cooperation