The radical change in the situation in Afghanistan, brought about by the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021, raised the question of the further development of the jihadist terrorist movements in the region, as well as the participation of citizens of Central Asian countries. Experts’ assessments, made immediately after the fall of Kabul, that Central Asia would be the target of direct coercive pressure from international groups, which would receive Taliban protection and funding, have not yet come true.Download report

The Japanese economy is a highly developed market economy, often de8ined as an example of East Asian economic model. It ranks third in the world in nominal GDP and fourth in purchasing power parity (PPP). Japan's economy soared in the second quarter of 2023, posting growth at an annualized 6 percent rate, one of the best 8igures that Japan has seen since the mid-1990s and good enough to make it the top performer among major global economies. The Japanese government actively welcomes foreign investment and has set ambitious goals for increasing inbound foreign direct investment (FDI).Download report

We studied the cost and financing of national immunization programs in lower and middle-income 28 countries: their immunization legislation, sorting them according to responsible parties for financing, stakeholders, functioning programs, covered vaccines, promotion, donor organization and implementation processes. Based on the analysis, 6 countries have been identified as optional best practices: Sri-Lanka, Bolivia, Costa-Rica, El-Salvador, Mongolia and Vietnam. Furthermore, several other lower and middle income emerging countries immunization programs have been studied, like Moldova, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ghana, Armenia, Georgia and Indonesia. These countries immunization programs have covered almost all points: timeline, supply, storage, applying, prevention, monitoring, training of the staff, financing programs and circumstances of obeying the rules. In addition, the process of immunization financing is well defined in their national legislations.Download report

The paper considers the possibilities and important aspects of the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway; changed intra- and extra-regional conditions that contributed to the acceleration of negotiations on the project; the positions and motives of the three sides of the project were analyzed in detail; as well as a SWOT analysis of the KKUZhD; recommendations were given for more sustainable implementation of the future project. The publication is intended for young experts and consultants, researchers, decision makers, as well as a wide range of readers interested in politics and international relations in the Central Asian region.Click to download

The war in Ukraine had substantial impact on the development trajectory of Central Asia. The region which had not recovered yet from the earlier hit by the negative consequences of COVID-19 pandemic was trapped into a new geopolitical and economic crisis linked to the Russian intervention against Ukraine. This situation influenced considerably to the role and presence of primarily Russia and to less extent of China in the region. The limited connectivity options, economic decline in the major trade partners Russia and China, geopolitical tensions between the West, Russia and China, strict pandemic measures in China altogether impacted negatively on Central Asia. However, the regional countries are striving to minimize these implications by reinforcing intra Central Asian cooperation and connections with other important actors like Turkey, India, Middle Eastern development drivers like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.  Download article