SPECA is being developed jointly by ESCAP and ECE at the request of the UN Secretary-General. The five Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are members of both ESCAP and ECE, and the Programme seeks to facilitate their economic integration into both Europe and Asia, as well as to strengthen economic cooperation among themselves. Consequently, it is envisaged that the programme will be "… g‚om‚trie variable" which would allow for some projects to be implemented on a subregional basis, while the geographical coverage of other projects will be extended to include countries outside the subregion, particularly neighbouring countries.

The draft SPECA Programme formulated jointly by ESCAP and ECE includes 32 project outlines and covers areas such as development issues and policies, transport, energy, trade policy and trade promotion, environment, natural resources development and management, industrial development and investment promotion, and technology.

So far, ESCAP and ECE have undertaken three high-level missions to Central Asia. The first mission was conducted in October 1997 during which the Executive Secretaries of both regional commissions discussed SPECA with the President of Kazakhstan and, unofficially, with the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. Similar consultations have been held in the course of joint ESCAP-ECE missions to Kyrgyzstan in December 1997, and to Turkmenistan in January 1998, at the invitation of the Presidents of these countries. The official visits to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are still to be undertaken.

It is envisaged that the Programme would initially include five priority projects of common concern. Each of the five countries will assume the lead country role in the implementation of one project. In this context, Kazakhstan has expressed interest in the areas of transport, environmental protection and energy as well as small and medium enterprise development. Kyrgyzstan has indicated priority interest in the energy sector. Other areas of special concern to Kyrgyzstan are, in order of priority: water resources management; transport and communications; and promotion of foreign direct investment in small and medium enterprises. While indicating priority interest in the area of energy (electricity generation and distribution) as well as in the transport sector, Turkmenistan emphasized the need to promote cooperation on a wider scale, especially with other neighbouring countries for the development of its gas pipelines for supplies to Asia and Europe. Uzbekistan has expressed preliminary interest in the areas of energy, transport, the environment, and the development of small and medium enterprises.

Institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Programme would be designed with a view to building consensus among, and enlisting active engagement of, all the Central Asian countries. The implementation of SPECA is proposed to be coordinated through the existing network of UN country offices. It is accordingly planned to discuss the Programme and the institutional arrangements for its implementation at a meeting of the UN Resident Coordinators based in this subregion.