Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, 30-31 March 2023 – A Regional Workshop on Central Asian Connectivity was held in Almaty. The event was jointly organized by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF).

The main aim of the Workshop was to discuss the initial findings of a mapping study that analyzes the underlying drivers of regional integration in Central Asia and identifies niche areas of further support to the Region, covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Based on the outcome of the workshop, IsDB and its partners plan to explore a new support initiative for Central Asian Connectivity. It will focus on key connectivity sectors including transport, energy, information and communications technology (ICT) as well as trade and capacity development.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Ibrahim Shoukry, Head of the IsDB Regional Hub in Almaty highlighted that: “This partnership between the three organizations is very timely as the Central Asia region is facing immediate challenges due to aggravating Eastern Europe ongoing conflict, which is affecting the whole region through various channels including trade, investments, movement of people, remittances and tightening financial conditions. The following energy and food crisis and price increase on the staple food items and basic commodities spur the inflationary trends and deteriorate living conditions of the population in the region.” 

The two-day workshop was attended by 20 officials from five Central Asian countries’ officials namely Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, in addition to the representatives from IsDB, AIIB, and MCDF.