CAMCA Collaboration: A New Vision for Regional Cooperation

As the capstone of their program, each CAMCA Fellowship cohort delivers a presentation addressing timely regional issues at a Central Asia-Caucasus Institute forum attended by professionals from local embassies, think tanks, the Hill and more. Each group must work together - debating ways to balance their individual countries’ diversities and commonalities among their needs, challenges and strengths - to collaborate on a presentation that highlights the region at a collective level.

In November 2023 the most recent group of CAMCA Fellows presented on the topic, “United We Thrive, Divided We Fall”, discussing a joint project dedicated to greater regional cooperation on energy security, water management and economic development. We are pleased to share some insights from their thoughtful presentation below.

Fellows stressed the importance of practical initiatives to maximize international investment, human capital development, economic diversification and military partnership among CAMCA nations. As only 2.4% of Central Asian GDP comes from foreign direct investment (FDI), the Fellows spoke to the importance of greater foreign investment in fostering innovation, exporting growth and improving access to new equipment and technology. Tajik Fellow, Nailya Menlasheva opened the presentation by outlining these key objectives as well as the potential economic benefits of such initiatives.

Observing major resource scarcities, Fellows called for the re-establishment of a Central Asia Super Grid. Following the model of Scandinavia’s Nord Pool, they suggest that a revitalized Central Asia Super Grid would coordinate energy resources to enhance water and electricity management while mitigating the threat of power outages, flooding and drought. “We’re all facing problems. Together, we can solve it. We have the infrastructure. We have the legal framework. We have similar examples,” remarked Kazakh Fellow, Ainur Kapparova. “We first need cooperation among our countries. We need agreement. We need to work together to agree to connect to this grid. To understand that it is our common problem and independently we will not be net winners.”

Underscoring the costs of exporting energy without sufficient regional return, Fellows further highlighted the need for cooperation on energy and economic security. Fellows also recommended water management reforms to empower farmers through drip irrigation and access to other modernized agricultural technologies. “Now the time has come for us to cooperate more and to actually gain an interdependence regionally,” stated Kyrgyz Fellow, Dastan Omuraliyev.

Fellows then outlined specific action items to promote further cooperation, including calling for the introduction of a CAMCA travel visa to encourage intra-regional tourism and business. Additionally, Fellows prioritized the significance of public-private partnerships, civil society and educational institutions to promote transparent and effective resource management policies. Describing the importance of human capital in development, Fellows emphasized the necessity of fostering information-sharing, skillsets and creativity through human connectivity. “One of the ultimate goals of this cooperation is stability and how can we achieve this stability. It is definitely through the rule of law and through the policies” shared Uzbek Fellow, Nargis Dustmatova. “Policies are all about people.”

Fellows concluded their presentation by announcing a prospective new development initiative, CAMCA Fellowship Effect. Thanks to conversations with Fellowship partners during the group's travels to Salt Lake City, the Fellows are working to establish CAMCA Fellowship Effect as a regional microfinance fund to support small entrepreneurs. Initially aiming to launch in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the fund hopes to expand throughout the region, offering support in business education, technical assistance and microloans.

We have been pleased to partner with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) in bringing Fellowship groups to Washington, D.C. for the past 16 years. Our thanks to the leadership and staff of AFPC and CACI for hosting yet another informative forum for CAMCA Fellows to have the opportunity to share their important perspectives with an audience of D.C. policymakers and thought leaders.

Click here to access the Fellows' slide presentation. Visit CACI’s YouTube page to view other recent presentations from previous Fellowship cohorts like the below:

• Ripples from Russia's War in Ukraine in the CAMCA Region
• CAMCA: A New Era
• Confronting Global Challenges in the CAMCA Region
• Intra-Regional Trade in the CAMCA Region: Current Trends and Growing Opportunities
• Impact of Digital Connectivity on the Governance and Economies of CAMCA Countries