ASTANA, Kazakhstan -

On 12 September, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Head of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Miroslav Jenča, took part in the Commemorative Session and Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the CICA Secretariat in Astana.

The meeting, which was opened by the President of Kazakhstan, was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the CICA. The event brought together foreign ministers of eight countries and heads of 14 international organizations.

On behalf of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the SRSG addressed the participants of the conference with a message that underlined importance of the dialogue in order to find forward-looking, sustainable solutions to the region's political, humanitarian and developmental challenges and ensured that the United Nations would continue to cooperate in this great effort.

Prior to the CICA's Commemorative Session, the SRSG met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov. The discussion focused on cooperation between UNRCCA and the Government of Kazakhstan within the framework of the centre's mandate. The two sides exchanged views on the current trends and developments in Central Asia, counter-terrorism activities, human rights situation and management of water and energy resources in Central Asia. Particular focus was given to the situation in Afghanistan and the role of Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states in stabilizing it.

SG's Message to the Commemorative Session and Fourth Ministerial Meeting of CICA