High-level representatives of CICA Member States, the Kazakhstan Chairmanship and the CICA Secretariat convened at the CICA Senior Officials Committee (SOC) meeting to consider issues such as the upcoming 2024-2026CICA Chairmanship, the implementation of the Road Map for CICA Transformation (RMT), establishment of a Partnership Network of Leading Universities of CICA Member States, future cooperation with other international organizations, and other Chairmanship priorities, AzVision.az reports.

The Kazakhstan Chairmanship reported on the progress achieved and presented plans on implementation of the CICA RMT. The organization’s transformation is set to be a structured, results-oriented, gradual, but not protracted process.

The SOC held its first detailed discussion of4 out of 8 clusters of the RMT, including elements of a future charter of CICA. In particular, the Member States paved the way for elaboration of the charter as a quintessence and culmination of the transformation process. New areas of cooperation within the organization and updating its Rules of Procedure were also deliberated at the meeting.

The issue of the next CICA Chairmanship was considered by the SOC in detail. Following discussions, the SOC recommended to the CICA Ministerial Council that it adopt a decision on the Chairmanship of Azerbaijan in the years 2024-2026 through a silence procedure.

The SOC also approved a draft Memorandum on the Establishment of a Partnership Network of Leading Universities of the CICA Member States for adoption by the Ministerial Council. This network will serve as a mechanism aimed at promoting cooperation among educational institutions, academic exchange, and joint research projects between universities inAsia.

The Chairmanship then updated the SOC on the ongoing work on key initiatives of the Chairmanship outlined at the Sixth CICA Summit in October 2022. Delegates discussed the implementation of initiatives such as convening the Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders of CICA Member States under the auspices of the CICA Youth Council, institutionalizing the CICA Finance Summit, and establishing a CICA Council for Sustainable Connectivity.

Senior Officials emphasized the relevance of volunteerism and welcomed the initiative to share national policies, strategies, research and best practices in this area on the CICA website on the basis of consensus.

The SOC also considered the draft annual action plan of the CICA Think Tank Forum for 2024. Facilitating effective intellectual collaboration among think tanks and research institutions of Member States remains a priority for the organization.

In order to create and further develop effective synergies with other international organizations, Senior Officials approved establishing partnership relations between CICA and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay presented a financial report of the CICA Secretariat for 2023 and Member States expressed appreciation to the Secretary General for effective management of financial resources throughout the year.

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