DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN

On 14-15 June, SRSG Natalia Gherman represented the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the 5th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Summit gathered delegations from 27 Member States, as well as 13 observers including representatives from the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries. 

CICA is a multi-lateral forum intended to enhance cooperation in pursuit of peace, security and stability in Asia. It was initiated by Kazakhstan’s first President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in 1992. 

The Summit adopted a declaration centered on the theme of “Shared Vision for a Secure and More Prosperous CICA Region.” The declaration calls for building common, comprehensive and sustainable security as well as more focused pursuit of common development, partnerships and connectivity throughout Asia.

In her statement, Ms. Gherman emphasized that “the CICA Member States can always count on the support of the United Nations, given that this wide-ranging forum fully aligns with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and modern international relations, which have developed upon the principles of mutual respect, equality and multilateral cooperation.”