2021

Online meeting held 8 May 2021 on the forthcoming project on post-conflict resolution in Central Asia. Participants: Kyrgyz Ambassador to Belgium Dr. Muktar Djumaliev, GDCOO Member of the Board Aigul Jarmatova and GDCOO contributor Joe Apostolidis, researcher Liam Flanagan.

GDCOO Training modules "THE FUTURE OF SOCIETY", April-May 2021, Lake Geneva region, Switzerland.More info

GDCOO partner the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan studies (IFIMES) organized on Monday March 8 in Vienna an international conference entitled Europe Future Neighbourhood - Disruptions, Recalibration, Continuity.

Co-organizers of the event were IFIMES along with Modern Diplomacy (the EU-based news platform, www.moderndiplomacy.eu), European Perspectives (the international scientific journal, www.europeanperspectives.org), Vienna School of International Studies (the oldest diplomatic school in the world, www.da-vienna.ac.at) and Culture for Peace (the Vienna-based platform for arts, culture and applied science, www.upf-cultureforpeace.org).

The videos of the day-long event can be accessed here:

Diplomatic Academy Vienna Facebook Page

The next leg of the conference cycle is scheduled for June in Geneva, Switzerland, further information here.

2020

GDCOO board member Ambassador Muktar Djumaliev's intervention in the framework of the GSP Hub Stakeholder Forum held on 29 September 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.

Roundtable 3: GSP and Central Asia: How can EU Tariff Preferences promote sustainable development?

Statement - H.E. Mr Muktar Djumaliev, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Kingdom of Belgium

"Compared with other GSP arrangements, EU’s GSP+ scheme is a rather special instrument as it incentivises pro-democratic reforms. In Kyrgyzstan it is understood as a scheme that recognises the past achievements and ongoing ambitions of the country in terms of political and economic reforms. In economic terms, trade between Kyrgyzstan and the EU increased almost ten-fold after the accession to the GSP+ scheme. However, the main export to the EU is gold, which accounts for 90% of overall trade with the EU. Thus, only a small share of exports enjoys economic benefits from the GSP+ such that the political advantages of the scheme currently predominate. Kyrgyz businesses have taken steps to ensure compliance with the current regulation and have adjusted their production accordingly, thus, a future regulation must ensure continuity and stability."

Read roundtable summary here

 

Ambassador Muktar Djumaliev statement addressed the impact of Covid-19 on SDG development goals at the 209 Session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, France on July 7.

2019

GDCOO representatives attended two conferences in Brussels in Fall 2019

SEnECA's Final Conference: “What Future for EU-Central Asia Relations?" in Brussels, Belgium on November 14-15

The project “SEnECA – Strengthening and Energizing EU-Central Asia Relations” seeks to improve research cooperation and to strengthen capacities in research and policy advice in the EU and Central Asia, having recognized the importance of Central Asia for Europe. An international consortium with twelve partner organisations from the EU and all five Central Asian countries, led by Prof Dr. Michael Kaeding, professor for European politics at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), and Dr. Katrin Böttger, Director of the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) will map and analyse the relations between the two regions in order to make recommendations to stakeholders on future research cooperation, policies and communication. This two-day conference culminates the SEnECA project as it provides a platform for academics, diplomats and experts to give their valuable insight and suggestions in how to best approach EU-Central Asia relations.

EU-Central Asia Education Conference: "A Sustainable Future through Education" in Brussels, Belgium on November 22

Hosted by the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU, this one-day conference highlighted some of the matters of future cooperation between the EU and Central Asia concerning topics of higher education and vocational training in Central Asia, regional actors’ role in HE & VET, innovative teaching and learning, future skills, employability and entrepreneurship in Central Asia.

History

The International Year of Mountains (IYM) convened from 29 October 2002-1 November 2002 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Government of Kyrgyzstan with support from UNEP and other partners organized this first-ever Global Mountain Summit, which was attended by over 600 delegates from 60 countries. Discussions at this event touched upon the necessity of setting up an organization that would eventually lead to the creation of GDCOO. The short documentary below, produced by the GDCOO co-founders during the conference, was the very first seed that led to initiating this project.