The United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)

The United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) is a mutual event between the UN and Central Asian countries that are experiencing a transition period. The objectives and actions of the programme are mentioned in the Tashkent Declaration, signed on March 26, 1998. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are the participants of SPECA.

Azerbaijan was admitted to the programme during the 4th session of the Regional Advisory Committee, held in Bishkek on November 28-29, 2002. The first meeting of the Programme Management Board and Business Forum was held in Baku in 2006.  A ministerial meeting was held in Baku on December 1-2, 2010, on the initiative to join the Trade Assistance Mechanism, proposed by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Development in 2007.  

In 2016, Azerbaijan chaired SPECA. The 11th Meeting of SPECA Economic Forum and the Governing Council was held in Ganja on November 22-23, under the co-chairmanship of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNECE. During the session, a meeting was held between the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach and Deputy Minister of Energy Gulmammad Javadov at the Ministry of Energy.    

On September 11-13, 2019, the 23rd meeting of the SPECA Working Group on Water, Energy and Environment was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A representative from the Ministry of Energy attended the event.