CAREC TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2030

The CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) Transport Strategy aims to enhance
connectivity and facilitate trade among member countries in Central Asia. The CAREC program is a
partnership of 11 developing member countries (DMCs) 1 and development partners working together
to promote development through cooperation, to drive accelerated economic growth and poverty
reduction. It is guided by the overarching vision of “Good Neighbors, Good Partners, and Good
Prospects.”

Key components include:

1. Infrastructure Development: - Upgrading and expanding road, rail, and air transport networks to
improve access and efficiency.
2. Policy Harmonization: - Coordinating policies and regulations across borders to streamline customs
procedures and reduce transit times.
3. Investment Promotion: - Attracting private and public investments in transport infrastructure and
services.
4. Sustainability: - Incorporating environmental considerations and promoting green transport
initiatives.
5. Capacity Building: - Providing training and technical assistance to improve the skills and capabilities of
transport authorities.
By focusing on these areas, the CAREC Transport Strategy seeks to boost economic growth, enhance
regional integration, and improve overall trade facilitation in Central Asia.
 The CAREC Transport Sector Strategic Framework outlines a comprehensive plan to enhance
regional connectivity and support economic growth in Central Asia.
Key elements include:
1. Vision and Objectives: - Aiming for an integrated and efficient transport system that promotes
sustainable economic development and trade among member countries.
2. Infrastructure Development: - Focus on improving and expanding transport infrastructure—roads,
railways, and airports— to facilitate smoother transit and reduce logistical costs.
3. Regional Connectivity: - Enhancing cross-border linkages and improving access to international
markets through integrated transport networks.
4. Policy Coordination: - Encouraging member countries to harmonize transport policies and regulations
to streamline customs and border processes.
5. Investment Strategy: - Identifying funding sources and prioritizing projects to attract both public and
private investment.
6. Capacity Building: - Strengthening institutional capacities and providing training to enhance the skills
of transport sector professionals.
7. Sustainability Goals: - Promoting environmentally friendly practices and sustainable transport
solutions to mitigate environmental impacts.
8. Monitoring and Evaluation: - Establishing frameworks to assess progress and adapt strategies as
needed to ensure effectiveness.
Overall, the framework aims to create a robust transport sector that supports trade, enhances economic
resilience, and contributes to regional cooperation
Transport pillar Connectivity objective Sustainability objective
Cross-Border Transport and • Implementation of transport • Reduced cost of trade,
Logistics facilitation agreements and increased trade, and economic
conventions and fostering growth
regional transportation dialogue • Increased efficiency and
• Improvement of border integrity of public institutions
crossing facilities and procedures • Improved safety and security
• Development of ports and
logistics centers facilities and
operations to support seamless
interoperability of all modes of
transport
Roads and Road Asset • Sufficient allocation of funds • Improved economic and social
Management for construction, rehabilitation, conditions through better
and maintenance of roads connectivity
• Strategic long-term planning • Strong focus on life-cycle
for development of the regional costing and quality for more
and national transport networks sustainable infrastructure
to meet growing social, investments
economic, and trade • Financing allocation based on
connectivity needs robust analytical and decision
support tools, such as the Road
Asset Management System
(RAMS)
• Institutional and procedural
reforms for improved national
road asset management
•Increased private sector
participation in road operation
and maintenance
Road Safety • Improved propensity to travel • Increased road safety leading
due to increased safety to reduced life and health
impacts, and economic losses.

Strategic Pillar—Cross-Border Transport and logistics Facilitation

The CAREC program focused on improving cross-border movement of people and cargo. The CAREC
program developed a holistic approach toward trade and transport facilitation, reflected in the
philosophy of the CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy suggested actions for the
improvement of customs and other border control procedures; implementation of modern risk
management principles in border control of cargo, vehicles, and drivers; improvement of the border
crossing infrastructure and equipment; facilitation of cross-border and transit traffic through
international transport conventions and agreements, and regional traffic rights agreements; and support
in establishing multimodal logistics centers in strategic locations along the CAREC transport corridors.
The key issues identified in the CAREC DMCs regarding cross-border transport and logistics highlight
significant challenges stemming from weak institutional coordination among national transport and
border management agencies. Despite efforts to implement an integrated approach, the lack of
collaboration between these agencies hampers efficiency.

1. Weak Institutional Coordination: National transport agencies and border management agencies
(BMAs) often operate in silos, leading to fragmented processes that complicate cross-border logistics.

2. Limited Cross-Border Cooperation: The coordination between BMAs of neighboring countries is

notably lacking, which further exacerbates delays and inefficiencies at border crossings.

3. High Clearance Times and Costs: The inefficiencies in border crossing processes contribute to high
average times and costs associated with clearing goods, which impacts overall trade competitiveness.

4. Low Travel Speeds: Despite improvements in infrastructure, the average speed of freight traffic
remains low due to delays caused by border crossing procedures and government inspections.

5. Infrastructure vs. Process Improvements: While infrastructure investments have improved the speed
of travel without delays, these gains are undermined by slow and cumbersome border processes.

Addressing these issues will require enhanced cooperation among agencies, streamlined processes, and
improved cross-border coordination to facilitate faster and more cost-effective logistics and transport
across CAREC corridors.

The border crossing delays were caused by a variety of factors:

I) Outdated infrastructure and equipment
(ii) Poor traffic management during peak seasons and hours resulting in long queues;
(iii) Inefficient and duplicative customs, immigration, security, and sanitary and phytosanitary control
procedures
(iv) Absence of effective traffic rights agreements, resulting in transshipment of cargo or long waiting
time for special traffic permits
(v) Absence of effective customs transit guarantee mechanisms, resulting in long waiting times for
customs escorts or customs bonds
(vi) Weak risk management systems and practices
(vii) Rent seeking by border control officials, resulting in deliberate slowing down of processes for
carriers who are not prepared to pay unofficial fees.
The Strategic Pillar on Roads and Road Asset Management within the CAREC Transport
Sector Strategic Framework focuses on enhancing the quality, safety, and sustainability of road networks
in Central Asia. Key components include:

Components of Road Asset Management

Institutional
Planning Financing
Framework

Implimentation

1. Infrastructure Development: - Upgrading existing road networks to improve safety and reliability.
- Expanding rural and urban road connectivity to facilitate trade and access.
2. Asset Management: - Implementing robust road asset management systems to monitor the condition
and performance of road infrastructure.
- Prioritizing maintenance and rehabilitation based on data-driven assessments.
3. Sustainability Practices: - Promoting environmentally friendly materials and construction practices.
- Integrating climate resilience into road design to withstand adverse weather events.
4. Policy Framework: - Harmonizing road policies and regulations across member countries to streamline
cross-border transport.
- Encouraging public-private partnerships to leverage investments in road infrastructure.
5. Capacity Building: -Training for local authorities and engineers on best practices in road management
and maintenance.
- Developing skills in planning, budgeting, and implementing road projects.
6. Safety Enhancements: - Implementing road safety measures and awareness programs to reduce
accidents and improve traffic management.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation: - Establishing metrics to assess the performance and impact of road
investments and management practices.

Road Safety
Road safety legislation, design standards, and practices in many countries do not reflect international
good practice. Collection, reporting, and sharing of data on road crashes and casualties is limited in
many member countries, thereby restricting the ability to formulate informed road safety action plans.
Both requisite skills and knowledge of good practice relating to road safety are limited throughout the
region. This includes critical areas, such as performing road safety audits, black-spot investigations,
effective road policing, road safety education and awareness campaigns, and first aid services provided
by first responders. Long-term commitment from CAREC member countries is essential for safer roads.
CAREC countries will continue implementing the CAREC Road Safety Strategy in the period up to 2030.
Implementation efforts will focus to a greater extent on road safety management (pillar 1) and safer
road infrastructure (pillar 2), which involve direct collaboration with transport ministries in member
countries. Safer road vehicles (pillar 3), safer roads users (pillar 4), and emergency post-crash care (pillar
5) will also receive due attention in line with each country’s needs and priorities

(i) Developing national road safety strategies and action plans

(ii) Improving collection and monitoring of crash data

(iii) Upgrading road design standards

(iv) Institutionalizing road safety audits processes

(v) Eliminating hazardous locations on existing road networks

(vi) Developing road safety engineering capacities

(vii) Improving safety at road work sites.

The CAREC program will help catalyze priority road safety actions through project preparation, peer
learning, knowledge sharing, capacity development, policy dialogue, and technical assistance and
investment financing.

Road crashes represent a significant global health issue, ranking as the eighth leading cause of death
worldwide and the sixth in Central Asia as of 2014. Enhancing road safety can substantially lower
fatalities and injuries while providing notable social and economic benefits. For instance, effective road
safety measures in Western Europe have reduced crashes to the 24th leading cause of death.

Despite a 15% decline in road traffic death rates since 2010 across CAREC countries, the region still faces
a staggering 60,000 annual fatalities and 600,000 injuries. Death rates in CAREC countries range from 8.7
to 18.1 per 100,000 populations, significantly higher than Sweden (2.8) and the UK (3.1). The impact of
road traffic incidents extends beyond fatalities, often resulting in permanent disabilities that affect
victims and their families. This highlights the urgent need for adopting internationally accepted road
safety practices based on solid research to prevent these tragedies.