One of the efforts that have been striving to have regional economic cooperation in South and Central Asia so as to assist Afghanistan is Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA). RECCA is a forum that has been managed to promote stabilization in Afghanistan and South and Central Asian regional economic integration. Following the fact that regional co-operation is central to
economic growth, poverty reduction, and political, economic and regional security, Afghanistan hosted the First Regional Economic Co-operation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA I) in 2005. The conference, attended by eleven regional countries, was a building block for an Afghan-led regional cooperation process and emphasized that all efforts shall be made to support and accelerate the implementation of various international transmission links, and joint steps shall be taken with consensus to promote and efficiently utilize the hydropower potential of the region. To formalize this process, it was decided that all the regional capitals would hold the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, one after the other. The final document of the Conference was declared Kabul declaration on Regional Economic Cooperation. Overland trade and transit issues between countries and regions were also discussed during the conference. The portfolio of projects included quick-impact social sector projects as well as long-term infrastructure projects benefiting in particular in Afghanistan and the bordering countries in general. New Delhi Declaration was final document of the Conference. The 3rd Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 13-14 May 2009. The conference became a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas among the political leadership, economic decision-makers, experts on development and cooperation and the international development partners. Participants of the conference discussed themes on “Regional Cooperation in a Development Perspective” and technical areas as mining, energy and Infrastructure, health, labor movement and human resources development, overland trade and transit issues between countries and regions. Fourth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA IV) was held in Istanbul 2010, November 2-3. RECCA participants recommended to improve the a) Infrastructure (Regional Roads, Railways, Extractive Mine Industry, Public-private partnerships and investment to enable commercially viable), b) Trade, Transit and border management (Regional Transit and Trade Agreements, Trade Facilitation, Customs and Transport Infrastructure Harmonization and Upgrade, Enhancement of Border Cooperation), c) Education and vocational training, d) Agriculture, f) Small and medium enterprises and others. Final document of the Conference became The Istanbul Declaration. In engaging business leaders, senior government officials, civil society representatives, artists, and scholars, the Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, presents an opportunity to translate the vision of a more stable and prosperous region through a stable and prosperous Afghanistan into a concrete action plan, with roots in both the “Kabul Process” and complementary regional initiatives, such as CAREC, SAARC, and ECO. Situated between recent conferences on Afghanistan in Istanbul and Bonn, as well as future conferences in 2012 in Chicago, Kabul, and Tokyo, RECCA V can advance shared economic interests through new approaches for regional economic cooperation. In particular, RECCA V aims to further the dialogue on establishing Afghanistan as a regional trade and transit hub. This will benefit its citizens and neighbors through a select number of targeted investments that unleash the talents of the business community and civil society. Building on the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) series initiated in 2005 – and held in Kabul, New Delhi, Islamabad, Istanbul, and Dushanbe – the RECCA-VI, to be convened on 3-4 September 2015 in Kabul, Afghanistan.