Carec Gender Strategy 2030

The CAREC Gender Strategy 2030 provides a regional approach to improving gender mainstreaming and strengthening the equal access of men and women to economic opportunities in five operational clusters. The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member countries face common challenges to improving gender equality and women's empowerment. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic also aggravated existing inequalities. This document complements national plans in line with the CAREC 2030 strategic framework's road map to gender mainstreaming in (i) economic and financial stability, (ii) trade, tourism, and economic corridors, (iii) infrastructure and economic connectivity, (iv) agriculture and water, and (v) human development.

Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) countries face several common challenges in improving the quality of lives of women, and the coronavirus disease pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities. The CAREC Gender Strategy 2030 complements national plans for gender mainstreaming. It provides a regional approach for pursuing gender equality, women’s empowerment, harnessed potential, and strengthened capacity for equal access of women and men to economic opportunities from CAREC investments. Under the overall CAREC 2030 strategy and aligned sector strategies, the gender strategy provides strategic directions and key entry points that will serve as a roadmap to mainstream gender in the CAREC operational clusters.

This document provides a diagnostic framework to analyze the level of gender equality in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) countries as a basis for the formulation of the CAREC Gender Strategy 2030 and assessing the CAREC ProgramÕs performance in gender mainstreaming. The analysis includes a comparison of key gender global indicators as well as cross-cutting gender and human development issues, particularly womenÕs access to decent work, economic opportunities, education and training, health services, information and communication technology, and infrastructure and public services, and womenÕs participation in decision-making. A representative sample of 107 CAREC projects was reviewed to identify good practices, gaps, and missed opportunities in gender mainstreaming.

This publication provides a diagnostic framework to analyze the level of gender equality in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) countries. It also serves as a basis for developing the CAREC Gender Strategy 2030 and assessing the CAREC Program’s performance in mainstreaming gender in its operations. The analysis includes a comparison of key gender global indicators as well as cross- cutting gender and human development issues, particularly women’s access to decent work, economic opportunities, education and training, health services, information and communication technology, and infrastructure and public services, and women’s participation in decision-making. A representative sample of 107 CAREC projects was reviewed to identify good practices, gaps, and missed opportunities in gender mainstreaming.

The CAREC Health Strategy 2030 aims to enhance health security through regional cooperation, benefiting the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region’s population (including migrants and vulnerable population groups), health system managers and workers, and active development partners; and CAREC countries’ ministries of health. The strategy has four main pillars: (i) leadership and human resource capacity, (ii) technical preparedness, (iii) surge demands and access to supplies, and (iv) vulnerable population groups and border health. It is intended as a tool to guide CAREC health cooperation, dialogue and knowledge exchange, programming and mobilize new project financing.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Tourism Strategy 2030 sets out the long-term vision, objectives, programs, and targets to promote sustainable, safe, and inclusive tourism development in the region. The strategy also aims to enhance the region's attraction as a competitive tourism destination globally. It builds upon countries' efforts to develop their tourism sectors as well as existing initiatives being implemented by development partners. It adopts a holistic approach, covering five strategic pillars: connectivity and infrastructure, quality and standards, skills development, marketing and branding, and market intelligence. The strategy also mainstreams six cross-cutting themes: health, safety, and security; digitalization; gender equality; environmental sustainability; private sector participation; and universal access to tourism services.

The report's overarching conclusion is that CAREC has a unique and urgent opportunity to chart a course of proactive, systematic, and strategic engagement in supporting its member countries in reinforcing, modifying, and implementing existing national strategies on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in developing a range of regional actions in response to the regional nature of many climate change impacts and solutions.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Transport Strategy 2030 builds on progress made and lessons learned from the CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy 2020. It separates trade facilitation from transport and links to the overall CAREC 2030 program in the areas of enhanced connectivity and sustainability. This strategy underscores increasing sustainability and network quality alongside continued construction and rehabilitation of transport corridors, and places more emphasis on multimodal connectivity, road asset management, road safety, and performance-based maintenance goals. The CAREC Transport Strategy 2030 will be implemented in conjunction with the CAREC Integrated Trade Agenda 2030.