Jeddah / Tashkent, 24 August 2021 - On the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group’s 2021 Annual Meetings, the Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) Department organized a webinar on ‘Building Back Better through Deeper RCI’ on 24 August 2021. The event brought together experts, policymakers, and development practitioners to discuss ways to build back better in a post-COVID era from an RCI perspective.

The webinar was attended by 97 participants amongst them IsDB staff and representatives from IsDB member countries, MDBs, and regional cooperation organizations. The program was co-moderated by En'amulrahman Malkawi, Lead Youth Empowerment Specialist, and Kadir Basboga, Senior Regional Integration and Trade Promotion Economist. The panel comprised Dr. Bahgat Abu El Nasr, Director General of the Arab Economic Integration Department at the League of Arab States; Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest, Chief of the Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Tamerlan Taghiyev, Acting Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the 4th Industrial Revolution in Azerbaijan; and Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev, Deputy Director at the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Institute.

At the event, Amer Bukvić, IsDB’s Acting Chief Product and Partnership Officer, delivered an opening speech, which was followed by the launch of the IsDB’s short RCI video entitled ‘Connecting Regions for a Prosperous Future’.

During the discussion, the panel members exchanged concrete examples of successful RCI responses to COVID-19, particularly from the MENA region and Central Asia. They emphasized the vital role of exchanging information at times of crises, and the need for strengthening relevant cooperation platforms to facilitate the transfer of existing knowledge and expertise to those countries in need. The panelists also touched upon many complementary issues including trade facilitation, digital economy, and operationalization of RCI programs.

At the wrap-up session, En'amulrahman Malkawi summarized the main issues from the panel discussion and highlighted the role of cooperation in addressing the world’s emerging challenges by echoing the key message of the newly launched RCI video.