OMM Newsroom
Kyrgyzstan has become the first Central Asian country to join a new UN rail convention designed to reduce freight costs, speed up cross-border shipments and strengthen trade links between Europe and Asia.
Tatyana Molchan, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), announced this at the SPECA Economic Forum in Bishkek on November 4, AnewZ reported.
Molchan said Kyrgyzstan’s role in developing regional connectivity was growing, particularly within the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), which Kyrgyzstan will chair in 2026.
She said harmonizing international rail freight rules would make transport more efficient and strengthen regional trade corridors. Molchan cited the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project as a key example of cross-border cooperation.
Convention aims to cut shipping costs
Kyrgyzstan officially joined the UN Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Rail on April 29, 2026, becoming its first party.
The convention is intended to establish a unified legal framework for international rail freight, improve transport efficiency and provide greater legal certainty on routes linking Europe and Asia.
UNECE estimates that the agreement could reduce average transit times by more than 10% and save at least $500 in direct shipping costs per container.
China, Germany, the Netherlands and Togo have also signed the convention and are taking steps toward ratification. The agreement will enter into force once five countries become parties to it.
Freight volumes rise on the Middle Corridor
The agreement comes amid growing geopolitical tensions, disruptions to traditional trade routes and rising demand for alternative routes linking Asia and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus.
According to UNECE, annual freight volumes along the Middle Corridor have increased more than fivefold over the past seven years, from 0.8 million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes.
About 77,000 TEUs — twenty-foot equivalent units — were transported along the route in 2025. The figure is projected to reach 300,000 by 2029.
UNECE estimates that about 1.9 million TEUs are transported between China and Europe each year. This figure points to the potential for alternative trade routes to attract a larger share of freight traffic.
SPECA fund to support regional projects
Alongside efforts to improve rail links, Molchan welcomed Kyrgyzstan’s contribution to the SPECA Multi-Partner Trust Fund. The fund has also received financial support from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
She called on other participating countries and international development partners to support the initiative.
The fund finances joint projects in transport, trade, digital connectivity and energy, with the aim of helping address shared economic and infrastructure challenges.
Molchan described SPECA as a UN platform that complements existing regional cooperation initiatives. She said stronger coordination could help turn commitments made by Central Asian leaders and Azerbaijan at annual consultative meetings into tangible results.
