The United Nations Regional Center for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan is being established in Kazakhstan. It is intended as a platform for coordinating international efforts aimed at solving key problems in the region. The main objectives of the center are to combat poverty, develop the economy and logistics, manage water resources, combat climate change, and improve healthcare and education. Recently, Central Asia has been under the close attention of Western countries. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Involve Afghanistan
"Alma Ata has become the United Nations Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan," the website of the Government of Kazakhstan says.
The publication notes that on March 4, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev back in 2019 on the establishment of the UN Regional SDG Center for Central Asia and Afghanistan in this city. The document was supported by 152 UN member states.
It is planned that the structure will work on projects together with the governments of the countries of the region, international financial organizations, business and NGOs.
Before the opening of the Alma Ata center in February 2025, the Termez Transport and Logistics hub in Uzbekistan was integrated into the global supply network of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Now Termez has become the eighth logistics center in this network, which includes cities such as Amman, Dubai, Nairobi and others.
These centers annually provide prompt delivery of humanitarian aid, including tents, medicines, blankets, etc., in the amount of over $500 million. Termez was chosen because of its strategic location at the intersection of Central and South Asia, where there is already a developed transport and energy infrastructure.
Termez Transport and Logistics Hub in Uzbekistan
The UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, believes that the Termez hub will benefit not only Afghanistan, but also the entire region, help strengthen emergency response measures, strengthen regional cooperation and combat climate change. Important transport routes pass through Termez, which makes it a key link in logistics.
The Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan, Nuriddin Azizi, said at a business forum in Astana in October 2024 that his country intends to regain its status as an important transit state. At the same time, he stressed that the transport infrastructure needs to be developed, and expressed hope for Kazakhstan's help in this.
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin also noted the advantageous transport position of both countries. According to him, 5,000 tons of cargo from Afghanistan passed through Kazakhstan in the first half of 2024, and 10,000 tons over the past year.
After coming to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia. — Ed.) resumed key infrastructure projects, including the Trans-Afghan Railway. Kazakhstan joined this project last year.
Experts believe that this corridor will reduce the time of cargo delivery between Central and South Asia by 10 times and reduce the cost of transportation. The creation of a multimodal transport corridor Belarus— Russia— Kazakhstan—Uzbekistan —Afghanistan —Pakistan is also being discussed.
Oust Russia and China
Recently, Western countries have been paying special attention to Central Asia, trying to oust Russia and China. The UN-sponsored initiative is no exception. The previous American administration actively visited the states of the region, discussing possible infrastructure projects and their financing.
The initiatives concerned such areas as mining and processing of rare earth metals, transport and logistics, agricultural production and "clean" energy.
The United States and the EU were interested in the Trans-Caspian (Middle) International Transport Corridor linking container rail freight transportation networks from China to EU countries through Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey and Eastern Europe.
By 2027, the G7 countries have promised to invest $600 billion in developing countries. One third of them is intended for Central Asia.
Razil Guzaerov, a junior researcher at the Department of the Middle and Post-Soviet East at the INION RAS, noted in a conversation with Izvestia that for a long time the West, realizing how important cooperation with Central Asia is for Russia, has been trying to win over the countries of the region.
—Politicians and diplomats from the United States, the EU, and the United Kingdom regularly made visits to Central Asia, but often to no avail," the expert believes.
The expert added that, despite the efforts of Western countries, they could not achieve their goal and harm the ties between Central Asia and Russia — on the contrary, trade relations only grew, the analyst states.
Diplomatic Mission of Astana
Rustam Burnashev, a professor at the Kazakh-German University, noted in an interview with Izvestia that the situation was quite difficult.
— The fact is that from the Kazakh side it is more of a diplomatic and status initiative. A UN center has been established in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan. There is a separate building where all the UN offices are located," the political scientist explained.
According to him, Kazakhstan is financially ready to accept an additional mission of the organization.
— Apparently, Astana assumes some obligations for the economic support of this center. It is clear that in the current situation, financing additional UN structures is quite controversial, given the current positions of the United States and other countries," the expert stressed.
He believes that this is a serious enough diplomatic breakthrough for Kazakhstan and an increase in its status.
— But the connection with Afghanistan looks a little more complicated, because Kazakhstan traditionally considers it as a country outside Central Asia, so the inclusion of Afghanistan in the region is more a project of Uzbekistan, — the analyst believes.
He believes that Astana has the potential to build certain infrastructural and economic ties with Kabul, but Kazakhstan simply does not see Afghanistan as part of Central Asia, and therefore, although cooperation is increasing, it is very limited compared to Uzbekistan.
— In this case, there is a complex combination: there is a greater interest in such projects that will unite Central Asia and Afghanistan. The Uzbek side stands for them. At the same time, it is Kazakhstan that is making a breakthrough in diplomatic terms, and it is its status that is rising," Burnashev concluded.
According to Andrey Grozin, head of the Central Asia Department at the Institute of CIS Countries, the region is guided by two considerations when trying to establish cooperation with Afghanistan. It is of interest to the neighbors because of its transit potential.
— It is possible to gain access to the Indian and Pakistani markets through this state. In addition, the countries of the region are striving to involve Afghanistan through economic cooperation in the orbit of more or less stable development," the expert believes.
He noted that in this case, Kabul will create fewer problems. A similar approach is followed not only in the Central Asian region, but also beyond its borders, in particular in China, Iran and, to some extent, in the Russian Federation, the expert concluded.
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