Social protection, especially health care systems for the poor, is essential to reduce inequality. Health-related shocks, such as death or severe sickness, can affect households' budgets significantly and create serious household trauma, leading to higher possibilities of them falling into poverty traps. The main challenge of social protection is improving coverage to provide services to people in rural and resource-poor environments. Microfinance health-related services, such as community-based health insurance, are expected to fill the gap. However, this concept also faces many challenges, including sustainability, governance, a lack of data, and a lack of capable human resources to manage it. On the other hand, the fast development of financial technology has raised the development of the crowdfunding platform for medical services. However, this concept only finances the medical expenses of people with a serious disease whom insurance or research for new medicine or treatment do not cover. This paper explores new and innovative ways of financing social protection, especially to improve access to health care services for poor and marginalized communities. Taking advantage of the development of financial technology and looking at how we can address the failures of community-based forms of health insurance, this paper will connect the sustainable financing concept, such as hometown investment trusts (HTITs) and crowdfunding, with community-based forms of health insurance. This paper proposes two models: (1) the two-step HTIT health insurance model; and (2) the integrated HTIT health insurance model.Trade facilitation, by reducing trade costs and raising the efficiency of moving goods across borders, is integral to international trade. Using novel data on bilateral time and cost measures for trade facilitation in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, this study estimates the trade impact of reducing time and cost at border crossing points within CAREC. It finds that (i) time taken at an importer border is more influential in promoting trade than at the exporter border, and (ii) at an importer's border, time is a more objective measure than cost in determining trade flow changes. Gravity model estimations show that reducing time at the importer border by 10% increases intraregional trade among CAREC countries by 1.41%. However, simulation results show that trade facilitation only at borders may not be sufficiently effective to lead to broader economic impacts in the CAREC region; rather, holistic approaches at and behind borders are needed.

Trade facilitation increases trade flows, lowers trade cost, and ultimately contributes to sustainable and inclusive growth. This publication, jointly prepared by the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, reviews the state of play of trade facilitation and paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific. It investigates the evolution of trade costs in the region, examines trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation, and highlights the key initiatives and efforts in Central Asia, the Greater Mekong Subregion, South Asia, and the Pacific. It includes impact assessments of trade facilitation implementation and corridor performance on reducing trade costs and increasing trade.

This report describes how Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridor performance measurement and monitoring (CPMM) helps to achieve the objectives of the CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy and its Implementation Action Plan. It presents the CPMM methodology and discusses the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, especially the private sector. It highlights ongoing efforts to provide accurate and reliable indicators despite the challenges of measuring corridor performance in the CAREC context. The extensive depth of data collected and the richness of information that CPMM has been providing since 2009 supports detailed policy analysis and formulation. Trade facilitation indicators have been developed to inform CAREC's Development Effectiveness Review. These indicators provide a basis of comparison or benchmarking of one location (border crossing point or corridor segment) against another in terms of (i) the efficiency of border management agency policies and procedures in regulating trade, (ii) infrastructure quality, and, in due course, (iii) the quality and performance of trade logistics service providers. The four indicators include the standard measures of time and cost as the main components. Selected corridor performance data are then analyzed to identify the physical and non-physical barriers to trade and transit traffic encountered at specific locations, helping to pinpoint the causes of excessive delays and costs. With this study, ADB underscores the value of CPMM for CAREC countries (and for countries participating in other subregional programs) as they craft policies and consider investments to facilitate trade.

This paper explores ways to unlock the potential for regional development and economic cooperation in the wider Central Asia region. It argues that understanding critical clusters of interrelated issues, and explicitly taking into account geopolitical and political economy considerations, are key in this regard. Regional countries and other stakeholders should focus on a few areas where there are real prospects for success in the short run; a combination of modest "win-win" initiatives and in some cases "bold strokes" that augment and change the distribution of benefits and hence make cooperation more likely to deliver progress.

Trade that straddles borders in Central Asia plays a vital role in the livelihoods of border communities and buttresses prosperity in often poor regions. By strengthening commercial ties, cultural understanding and deepening community relationships, border trade nurtures amicable relations between neighboring countries. This book examines the characteristics of trade intermediated by a network of bazaars in Central Asia and its significance for local economies. It uncovers the dynamic phenomenon of bazaars in propelling trade. Bazaars were invented in central Asia centuries ago; in their modern form, as highly flexible and low cost centers for trade, endowed with modern sophisticated logistics, bazaars provide a channel parallel to that of formal trade. Bazaars play major roles in regional and national chains of production and distribution with national networks strongly integrated and overlapping across Central Asian economies. They are the major agents for border trade, which fights poverty by cheapening products and by creating employment opportunities, especially for women. The book examines the public policy implications of bazaar or non-standard trade and actions that could be taken to foster such trade. A light regulatory touch and a low fiscal burden would help fight poverty. Improvements in the business climate and elimination of harassment of traders by local officials as well as easing conditions for the movement of peoples and vehicles would be hugely beneficial. But this book goes beyond trade. It considers the potential for border community cooperation in a variety of activities, public services, and shared infrastructure, culture that could yield rich dividends and make meaningless borders as separators of human activities. It examines the example of border cooperation in Europe through Euroregios as a model for Central Asia. Finally, the book concludes with a series of recommendations for public authorities intended to deepen border trade and cooperation.

This publication discusses how the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC) can enhance trade by addressing key challenges, including poor market access, limited economic diversification, and weak institutions for trade. CAREC's new trade strategy leverages on the successes of past CAREC trade work built on mutual trust and collective efforts. It is designed to foster deepened regional cooperation and integration. The CAREC Program is a partnership of 11 countries---Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan---to promote development and lead to accelerated growth and poverty reduction.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member countries face many common economic, social, and environmental challenges that directly impact their citizens and communities. Communities living in bordering regions face this impact in a unique manner with historical and cultural ties, shared resources and geographies, social support systems including family and friends, and business and livelihood activities. This report provides a brief strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the scope for CAREC to strengthen cross-border communities’ development. It identifies a series of recommendations for CAREC to play a proactive role in expanding cross-border cooperation in the border regions.

This report discusses progress made by the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program’s trade facilitation efforts from 2010 to 2020 and evaluates the efficiency of cross-border trade across six CAREC transport corridors. Using the results of Corridor Performance Measurement and Monitoring (CPMM) tool, it outlines the disruption caused by COVID-19 and details steps by the 11 CAREC member countries to facilitate trade, bolster cooperation, and boost connectivity. Analyzing outstanding challenges and opportunities, it prescribes possible actions to remove important structural barriers to enable the efficient flow of goods and unlock growth for the region.

This commemorative book celebrates 10 years of productive collaboration under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. Under CAREC, its member countries have made significant gains in regional transport, energy infrastructure, and trade facilitation and policy, which have increased both the pace and quality of development in the subregion. The spirit of trust and confidence that has evolved through the years among good neighbors and good partners has led to better prospects for all.

This publication examines issues that affect regional development and economic co-operation in the wider Central Asia region, using a framework based on two main areas of analysis: i) critical linkages between sectors, including border management, security, and trade and transit facilitation; and between electricity trade, hydropower generation and water issues; and ii) the political obstacles to progress and the need for incentives to build mutual confidence and ease political concerns, complemented by initiatives that augment and change the distribution of benefits and which therefore make regional co-operation more likely to deliver progress.