"Significant steps have been taken toward creating a financing mechanism called the SPECA Fund," said Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), during the forum titled “Special Forum of Cities: Housing Solutions for an Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Future” held within the framework of WUF13, APA reports.
“At the SPECA Summit, the leaders of six countries decided to transform SPECA into a meaningful and practical platform for regional cooperation. Since then, we have achieved real progress in cooperation along the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor. Today, I believe that the third important element of SPECA’s reactivation is being implemented. We are creating an urban dimension within SPECA that previously did not effectively exist. Its initial presentation took place in Baku during COP29, and I believe that within the framework of WUF13, this initiative is now reaching full maturity.
Cities located in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, within the SPECA region, face similar challenges. Rapid urbanization, pressure on housing systems, outdated infrastructure, climate risks, transport congestion, energy inefficiency, air quality issues, and the modernization of urban governance. These issues have already become key priorities for the resilience of countries. Both capital cities and other cities serving as centers of economic activity play an important role in the future of the SPECA region. Therefore, it is impossible to seriously discuss the future of the SPECA region and regional cooperation without the active participation of cities in this process,” he noted.
