The Heart of Asia project accomplished the following goals:

    Established a broad network of experts across Central and South Asia to support long-term, person-to-person and organization-to-organization cooperation throughout the region on issues of renewable energy and sustainable development, and regional transport infrastructure and trade;
  • Created an online platform that encourages the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and technologies to address regional problems at a local level;
  • Organized three successful international events: a conference on renewable energy technology transfer and sustainable development in Central Asia, a conference on improving transport connectivity in South and Central Asia, and an experts seminar on promoting transport and transit connectivity in Central Asia and beyond. These events provided opportunities for non-governmental voices to enrich discussions on regional cooperation, provide concrete recommendations for governmental initiatives, and develop effective models for addressing problems facing the region; and,
  • Built the foundation for sustainable regional projects that will help rural communities meet urgent economic needs and address acute issues while continuing to promote cross-border regional cooperation.

Network of Experts
IGE established a broad network linking experts from all five Central Asian states, as well as Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. The Network consists of scholars from government-funded research institutions and governmental agencies, academics and experts from independent analytical centers and non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of NGOs and business communities.

Renewable Energy Technology Transfer and Sustainable Development in Central Asia
In December 2015, IGE, in partnership with Michigan State University and the Department of International Relations at the al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and with support of the Almaty office of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, hosted an international conference on “Renewable Energy Technology Transfer and Sustainable Development in Central Asia.” The event brought together experts from all five Central Asian states, Afghanistan and the U.S. to exchange research breakthroughs in the use of small-scale renewable energy to address challenges of energy and food security.

Mojtaba Haidari, a renewable energy advisor at the Ministry of Energy and Water of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, speaking on Afghanistan Government’s renewable energy priorities and policies, December 2, 2015.

Improving Transport Connectivity in South and Central Asia
On April 6, 2016, IGE, in partnership with Michigan State University and the Department of International Relations at the al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and with support of the Almaty office of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, hosted an international conference on “Improving Transport Connectivity in South and Central Asia.” The conference brought together experts from all five Central Asian states, Afghanistan and China, as well as representatives of international development organizations and financial institutions, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Islamic Development Bank.

Promoting Transport and Transit Connectivity in Central Asia and Beyond
From April 6-7, 2016, IGE, in partnership with the Department of International Relations at the al-Farabi Kazakh National University and MSU hosted an experts seminar on “Promoting Transport and Transit Connectivity in Central Asia and Beyond.” The seminar provided an opportunity for experts from academic and research institutions of all five Central Asian states, as well as South Asia, Afghanistan, China and the U.S., to evaluate current national and international projects, brainstorm strategies for overcoming challenges, and reconcile differing regional agendas for the development of regional transport networks and corridors to enhance regional trade and commerce.

Central Asian experts discuss international projects and initiatives in the development of transport corridors in South and Central Asia in the context of the changing regional environment.

Sustainable Regional Projects
IGE will continue to engage its Central and South Asian partners in projects on religion and security; resilient communities and CVE; and renewable energy and sustainable development.

For more information, please contact IGE’s Eurasia Program Officer Marina Barnett at mbarnett@globalengage.org.