Tashkent will host the first meeting of the Central Asia Regional Expert Council on rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees from armed conflict zones on May 14 this year.

Before the event, UzA Correspondent interviewed Kaha Imnadze, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Asia, Head of UNRCCA.

– Central Asia is a peaceful region with rich culture and history, but at the same time it faces multiple challenges to peace and security. Border disputes, water scarcity, environmental concerns and climate change, and threat of terrorism have all tested the region’s stability, – Mr. Kaha Imnadze said.

In response to these challenges, the United Nations established a Special Political Mission with a regional and preventive mandate, a Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) in 2007 with the main office in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and with representatives in the capitals of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

While monitoring and analyzing peace and security developments, we work with the Governments of Central Asian states on issues relevant to preventive diplomacy, fostering stability and strengthening regional cooperation, providing the Governments with a platform for dialogue on the most complex regional issues such as transboundary water management, and addressing and countering transnational security threats.

Our Center maintains close contact with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to ensure a comprehensive and integrated analysis of the situation in the region. In addition, we also provide political guidance and support to the preventive activities of the United Nations country teams.

Based on a common regional understanding of threats related to extremism and terrorism, UNRCCA, in close partnership with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, supported the Central Asian states to develop a Joint Plan of Action for implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. For more than a decade now, this Joint Plan has been serving as a unique platform for coordinated regional and country-specific efforts. 

As never before, current positive political dynamics in Central Asia call for long-term solutions in transboundary water management and climate change. We see water not as a dividing but as a rallying factor for the region. The UNRCCA has been providing a unique multilateral platform to work on sustainable and mutually beneficial solutions in shared natural resources among all five states of the region. 

To assist the governments of Central Asian states in their effort to advance the role of women in peace-building processes and to implement the seminal Women Peace and Security Agenda across the region, UNRCCA was one of the initiators of the Central Asian Women Leaders Caucus – the unique network comprising the most prominent women politicians and policy-makers of Central Asia – to advance Women Peace and Security agenda and make progress in achieving gender equality in Central Asia. 

UNRCCA pays great attention to the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda. In 2019, the UNRCCA established its Preventive Diplomacy Academy, a unique platform for collaboration and cooperation among young people from Central Asia on conflict prevention issues. The Academy is encouraging young active leaders from Central Asia, including neighboring Afghanistan, to participate actively in peace-making processes in Central Asia.

The UN Secretary-General has consistently recognized UNRCCA’s important role in promoting peace and stability in Central Asia through advancing prevention, emphasizing the Centre’s unique ability to facilitate dialogue by providing a neutral platform for open and constructive discussions among Central Asian countries, helping to build trust and understanding on the prominent topics of the regional agenda.   

Preventive diplomacy is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process, and the experience suggests that successful preventive diplomacy requires continued commitment by the Central Asian states to maintaining peace and stability and high-level political engagement in processes designed to promote bilateral and regional cooperation. 

At the outset of my tenure, I was privileged to take part in the 5th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States and Summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Dushanbe and witnessed growing dynamics in regional cooperation for the sake of mutual interests and shared benefits. 

This is exactly what the UN Secretary-General expects the United Nations member states to strive for, including, as emphasized in his latest and urgent “New Agenda for Peace”. The Central Asian region could be considered a role model in that sense, taking the UN Secretary-General’s appeals seriously. 

The role of Uzbekistan in promoting regional cooperation cannot be underestimated. Since 2017, the new course in Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, based on strong commitments to the United Nations Charter and a desire for peace and good neighborliness, continues to shape and advance a positive atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation in the region. I would like to note the Uzbek initiatives at the UN General Assembly and Consultative meetings of the Central Asian Heads of State – all aimed at promoting regional and multilateral cooperation, supporting robust interconnectivity in the region, and creating conditions for sustainable development and economic growth.

Uzbekistan has been a consistent and active supporter of the UNRCCA’s work, recognizing the importance of preventive diplomacy and the need for regional collaboration in addressing shared challenges and promoting peace and security in Central Asia. Taking this opportunity, let me express gratitude for Uzbekistan’s consistent support to the UN General Assembly Resolutions on the ‘Role of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia’, adopted in 2017, 2021, and 2023, accordingly.

Uzbekistan actively participates in the UNRCCA-offered initiatives and dialogues, contributing to discussions on regional security and counter-terrorism, climate and water management, women and youth. The next annual Central Asian Deputy Foreign Ministers’ meeting, under the UNRCCA auspices, will also be hosted by Uzbekistan in the second half of this year.  

The Joint Action Plan for implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia was adopted in March 2022 at the Tashkent high-level international conference. In this vein, the First Central Asia Regional Expert Council Meeting on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees: Cooperation for Peace and Security is scheduled for 14 May this year. 

Uzbekistan has played a key role in establishing the Central Asian Women Leaders’ Caucus and, as the first chair of the Caucus, set the course for becoming a powerful and vocal advocacy instrument. Uzbekistan also actively supports the activities of the Academy of Preventive Diplomacy for Youth of Central Asia.

In the current complex international situation and growing global confrontations and conflicts, the challenges that Central Asia faces today also require collective and coordinated action through dialogue and cooperation, hence the importance of Partnership for a Secure and Prosperous Central Asia.

Uzbekistan has been a reliable partner of the United Nations in upholding core UN values and principles, securing peace and security in the region, upholding important UN endeavors, engaging with neighbors and regional partners to find common ground and resolve differences through peaceful means, dialogue, and trust-building. And we at the UNRCCA, with our unique mandate, preventive diplomacy tools, and our robust partnership with the Central Asian countries, stand ready to continue our work together, building a future of peace, stability, and prosperity for all in Central Asia and beyond.

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Interviewed by Bekhruz Khudoyberdiyev, UzA