DUSHANBE, February 18, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Over sixty delegates from eight member countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program will join a business networking forum and capacity building seminar of the CAREC Federation of Carrier and Forwarder Associations (CFCFA) in Chongqing, China (PRC) next week, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Tajikistan Resident Mission (TJRM).

The four-day events will bring together chairpersons and experts from road carrier and forwarder associations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  At least sixty local associations from Chongqing will also participate in the forum and seminar to explore collaboration with their counterparts from Central Asia and Mongolia.

The Tajikistan delegation is headed by Mahmadali Shokirov, President of the Association of the International Automobile Carriers ABBAT, and comprises ABBAT’s senior staff and members.

"CFCFA was established in 2009 as an instrument of expanding public-private partnership for developing transport and logistics in the CAREC region," said Ying Qing, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Lead Professional for Regional Cooperation.  "It provides a cooperation mechanism for national associations to solve topical issues, and a possibility of active participation in implementing and initiating CAREC projects."

The events aim to build institutional capacity for CFCFA members on multi-modal transport management; provide an opportunity for networking among carriers, forwarders, traders and entrepreneurs in the CAREC region; and train on the latest revisions and developments in data collection, analysis and report preparation for transport and trade corridor performance monitoring.

CAREC is a partnership of 10 countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, plus six multilateral institutions: ADB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank.  Together, the CAREC partners work to promote effective regional cooperation in the priority areas of transport, trade, and energy, helping Central Asian and neighboring countries realize their vast economic potential.  ADB has served as CAREC Secretariat since 2001.

Tajikistan joined ADB in 1998, and to date the institution has approved a total assistance of over $800 million in concessional loans, grants and technical assistance to the country.  ADB''s grant assistance package to Tajikistan for 2011 is set at $165 million.  The assistance program is expected to support roads and strengthen public resource management.