CAREC Institute Participates in Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2026, Forges New Partnership with ADB
A delegation from the CAREC Institute (CI), led by Director Charymuhammet Shallyyev, joined by Dr. Ghulam Samad, Chief of Research Division, and Ms. Jia Ni, Human Resource Officer and Women in Transport Network focal point, attended the Asia-Pacific Transport Forum 2026. The event took place at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila from 19 to 22 May. As ADB’s flagship biennial transport event, the 2026 forum carries the theme “From Priorities to Actions”. Aligned with the early implementation phase of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035), the gathering brought together regional ministers, senior officials, practitioners and development partners to address shared transport challenges, exchange field experience and advance sustainable transport development and supply chain resilience, enabling CI to leverage a key regional platform to deepen transport cooperation and further solidify its role as a professional think tank.
During the forum, Director Shallyyev served as a speaker at the parallel session titled “Pan-Asia Connectivity and Supply Chain Resilience: CAREC, GMS, SASEC, and Beyond”. He shared CI’s views on regional transport development. He noted that regional transport infrastructure continues to grow and improve, but seamless cross-border connectivity remains incomplete. He stressed that future connectivity work should focus on institutional improvement, digital transformation and policy coordination, instead of only expanding physical infrastructure, to build more resilient and integrated regional supply chains.
On 21 May, Director Shallyyev delivered opening remarks at the inaugural CAREC Transport Smart Mobility Working Group Meeting. The session facilitated consensus on key smart mobility policy priorities and practical development plans, laying a solid foundation for the rollout of efficient, low-carbon and intelligent transport solutions across the CAREC region.
The official visit delivered key institutional outcomes for CI’s regional cooperation. On the same day, Director Shallyyev signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ADB to jointly establish a Transport and Logistics Center at CI, underscoring the institute’s ongoing commitment to advancing regional transport cooperation and high-quality connectivity. “The center will serve as a dedicated knowledge and capacity hub for CAREC member countries,” said Director Shallyyev. “It bridges infrastructure development, policy innovation and practical capacity building, translating regional connectivity priorities into tangible, sustainable and resilient transport outcomes.”
The MOU formalizes a formal cooperation framework between CI and ADB. Both sides will collaborate on delivering ADB’s regional transport programs, building a specialized transport and logistics platform at CI, conducting targeted capacity building for CAREC members, and sharing cross-regional industry best practices. Focusing on corridor research, policy consultation and capacity development, the new center will support sustainable, efficient and inclusive transport investment across the CAREC region.
On the forum sidelines, the CI delegation held bilateral meetings with Ms. Li Hongxia, Chinese Executive Director at ADB, Ms. Leah Gutierrez, Director General of the Central and West Asia Department, Mr. Hideaki Iwasaki, Director General of the Sectors Department 1 – Transport and Energy Sectors Group, and representatives of the CAREC Secretariat. The delegation also had in-depth professional discussions with experts of the ADB Transport Team and the Asian Transport Observatory to scale up support for the CAREC Transport Strategy 2030 through analytical research on trade, transport, logistics and corridor development. Leveraging the new cooperation framework and the Tianshan Forum, the CAREC Institute will further advance regional connectivity, enhance supply chain resilience and drive sustainable economic growth across Central Asia.