The second meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG)
- reviewed progress and findings of the ongoing sector analytical work, and
- identified and refined content of future work to be taken in other areas relevant to the Almaty-Bishkek Corridor Initiative (ABCI) such as special economic zones and industrial parks, and the information technology (IT) sector.
The first JWG meeting, held in Bangkok, Thailand on 22-23 December 2014, agreed on an initial set of priority areas for analysis: long-term urban planning, agriculture and food security, health services, education services, tourism, and infrastructure related to trade and logistics.
Participants in the second JWG meeting interacted with resource persons from the IT sector, highlighted by the choice of Bangalore as venue.
The ABCI was launched with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the city administrations of Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) at the 13th CAREC Ministerial Conference.
Under the initiative, Almaty and Bishkek will develop the first CAREC economic corridor at the city level.
The JWG was formed with seven members each from Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, representing city administration and central government.