DUSHANBE, March 15, Asia-Plus  -- The 13th Session of the SPECA (UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia) Project Working Group on Transport and Border Crossing (PWG-TBC) was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 13-14.  

Kazinform reported that the meeting participants included senior representatives from transport and customs bodies of member nations of SECA, regional office of international organizations and financial institutions, transport companies and associations.   

According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), Abdufattoh Yusupov, the head of the MoTC surface transport department, represented Tajikistan at the SPECA meeting in Almay. 

Representatives from member nations of SPECA presented their country reports.  They outlined new projects and initiatives at the national level in the field of transport, progress in establishment and strengthening of national transport facilitation coordinating mechanisms, as well as in accession to and implementation of international agreements and conventions. 

They also discussed the SPECA PWG-TBC Program of Work 2008-2009, developed in line with the Almaty Program of Actions (2003)

In parallel, bilateral consultations on borer crossing issues were carried out in Kazakhstan.  

The Project Working Group on Transport and Border Crossing is a subsidiary body within the governing structure of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).  

SPECA) was launched in 1998 to strengthen sub regional cooperation in Central Asia and its integration into the world economy.  The members of SPECA are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) provide overall support to the Program.