Geneva, 30 November 2011. The delegation of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) headed by Viktor Bolyasnikov, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, is taking part in the sixth session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration in Geneva. During the session, the EDB representatives had talks today with Jan Kubiš, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNECE Executive Secretary.
The sides discussed the current condition of their cooperation from the moment when the EDB and UNECE had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2010 and stated it had a progressive and mutually beneficial nature.
In 2010 the organisations fulfilled a joint pilot project — the Innovation Performance Review of Belarus. The recommendations and actions proposed by this document are being used by the Belarusian government to prepare the country’s mid-term Innovation Development Strategy and, in particular, its new law on the state innovation policy which will be considered by the parliament this December.
In 2011 the EDB and UNECE began work on a similar innovation performance review of Kazakhstan at the request of the Kazakh government. Ukraine has also officially stated its interest in such a study in 2012.
Jan Kubiš thanked the EDB for the financial support to these projects and expressed a hope that cooperation would be developed in other areas as well. The EDB representatives said that this work was already being done, in particular with respect to the possibility of using the mechanisms of public-private partnership in some of the Bank’s member states.
At the meeting, the Bank’s representatives also wished Jan Kubiš good luck in his new position as a UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan, which he would hold in the nearest time.
In addition, this session of the UNECE Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration discussed the first draft of the Innovation Performance Review of Kazakhstan.
Vladimir Yasinsky, Member of the EDB Executive Board and Head of Research, said at the session that this review proposed recommendations and political measures to improve innovation activities in Kazakhstan and develop its innovation potential.
“The Republic of Kazakhstan pays increasing attention to the promotion of innovations as a leading factor of economic development and diversification. These initiatives aim, in particular, at creating state institutes to support innovations,” Vladimir Yasinsky said about the conclusions presented in the review. “At the same time, the entrepreneurship sector is one of the weakest links in Kazakhstan’s modern national innovation system. The dynamic growth of small and medium-sized business, especially in a high-risk innovation environment, is a necessary condition for attaining high rates of economic growth and ensuring its stability.”
Additional Information
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was set up in 1947 to develop economic activity and strengthen economic relations within the UNECE region and between the region and the rest of the world. UNECE’s activities in the areas of transport, environment, statistics, energy, trade, economic cooperation and integration, and technical assistance allow it to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. UNECE provides a regional forum for governments to develop conventions, norms and standards with the aim of harmonising action and facilitating exchange of opinions. UNECE provides consumer guarantees of safety and quality, helps protect the environment, facilitates trade, and the greater integration of the member states at the regional level and also with the global economy.
