UNRCCA (Central Asia)
Expected Council Action
In January, Kaha Imnadze, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), is expected to brief Security Council members on the UNRCCA’s work in closed consultations.
Key Recent Developments
Imnadze last briefed Council members on 10 July 2025, in closed consultations. Among other matters, he provided an update on the UNRCCA’s activities pertaining to counter-terrorism, transboundary water management, border demarcation, and the women, peace and security, and youth, peace and security agendas. Imnadze also covered the border agreements between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and among Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
On 16 November 2025, the foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed and exchanged ratification instruments for a treaty relating to the junction point of the three countries’ national borders. The treaty, which took two decades to negotiate, was signed on 31 March 2025 during a trilateral summit held in Khujand, Tajikistan. The summit followed the 13 March 2025 ratification of an agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which resolved the long-running border dispute between the two countries. Disputes regarding the border have sometimes erupted into violence, including in September 2022, when dozens of civilians were killed and thousands more displaced during clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajik security forces.
There has been increased interest from a number of member states in pursuing closer ties with Central Asia, sparking increased diplomatic competition in the region. On 7 November 2025, the “C5+1”, a diplomatic platform comprising the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the US, issued a joint statement marking the format’s tenth anniversary and agreeing to take a series of steps intended to promote economic activities and engagement. On the same day, the US Department of State issued statements highlighting closer business relations between the US and each Central Asian state. These statements came a day after US President Donald Trump hosted leaders from all the C5 countries at the White House. Kazakhstan also announced that it would become the first Central Asian state to join the Abraham Accords ahead of the meeting with Trump.
In early October 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Central Asia for a three-day visit, which included the Russia-Central Asia summit with leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The participants in the Russia-Central Asia summit adopted a communiqué, in which the leaders agreed to work on matters such as transport and logistics corridors, counter-terrorism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking, as well as a joint action plan for 2025 to 2027.
From 19 to 22 November 2025, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi travelled to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan for meetings with his counterparts from each country. The visit followed the second China-Central Asia summit, which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and took place in mid-June 2025. Among other matters, Xi reportedly pledged during the summit that China would provide 1.5 billion yuan ($208.86 million) in grant assistance to Central Asian states to support livelihood and development projects.
On 11 July 2025, the European Union (EU) and the five Central Asian countries held the 12th EU-Central Asia High-Level Political and Security Dialogue in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. According to an EU statement, the participants discussed global and regional security challenges arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the situations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and also took stock of efforts to implement the joint roadmap for deepening ties between the EU and Central Asia.
The Taliban has continued to seek closer ties with Central Asian states after seizing power in Afghanistan in August 2021. On 15 November 2025, a delegation of Tajik officials arrived in Kabul for a series of meetings with representatives of the Taliban. According to media reports, the talks focused on diplomatic engagement, economic cooperation, and regional security.
Snap parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 30 November 2025. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observers reportedly concluded that while the elections were efficiently run, they were nonetheless stifled by a restrictive campaign environment in which fundamental freedoms were increasingly limited. Candidates affiliated with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov won the majority of seats at the polls, which were originally due to take place by November 2026. Kyrgyzstan is one of two candidates for the Asia-Pacific seat on the Security Council for the 2027-2028 term.
On 1 December, Chinese and Tajik authorities announced that five Chinese nationals were killed and another five injured in Tajikistan during attacks that were launched from Afghanistan. On 3 December, Taliban officials announced that they had arrested two people in connection with the attacks.
From 18 to 24 September 2025, Imnadze visited the border regions of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to observe the dynamics of cross-border cooperation between the three countries. He held meetings with local authorities, border services, and representatives of civil society and commended the progress made since the border agreement was signed.
Between 13 and 16 October 2025, the UNRCCA and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) convened the fifth regional conference on the counter-terrorism early warning network for Central Asia. During his opening remarks, Imnadze highlighted the strong interest of member states in the initiative.
On 11 December, Imnadze met with OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioğlu in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. They discussed cooperation between the UNRCCA and the OSCE in relation to security and stability in Central Asia, including joint efforts aimed at promoting preventive diplomacy.
On 16 November 2025, Imnadze participated in the seventh consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia in Tashkent, where he conveyed a message from the Secretary-General that commended Central Asia’s dedication to multilateralism, among other matters. Central Asian heads of state were joined by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as Azerbaijan has become a fully-fledged member of the format.
Key Issues and Options
Determining how to make the best use of the UNRCCA’s expertise in preventive diplomacy and deciding whether there is anything the Council can do to support its efforts are both issues for Council members. An option for the Council would be to hold an open briefing on the work of the UNRCCA, which would give members an opportunity to publicly express their support and raise awareness of its activities. Closed consultations could then be held after the open briefing to allow for a more interactive and frank exchange with Imnadze. Alternatively, the Council could hold a debate in order to give Central Asian states the chance to discuss the UNRCCA’s work in public. Currently, the norm is for UNRCCA meetings to be held solely in closed consultations.
The situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Central Asia is another issue for the Council. A representative of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) could be invited to participate in the closed consultations and provide information on developments in the country that might affect Central Asia.
Members could also choose to issue a press statement highlighting the importance of the UNRCCA’s work and the role it plays in the region.
Council Dynamics
Council members are generally supportive of the UNRCCA and consider it to be an important tool for promoting cooperation and diplomatic engagement in Central Asia. Before the middle of 2018, Council members regularly issued press statements expressing support for the UNRCCA and its work and encouraging increased cooperation and coordination among the Central Asian countries, the UNRCCA, and “relevant regional organisations”. Council members have not been able to agree on a press statement for the last seven years, however, owing to disagreements among the permanent members about including references to specific regional organisations, including the CIS, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
| Security Council Letter | |
| 7 May 2007S/2007/279 | This was a letter from the Secretary-General on the establishment of a United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Ashgabat. |
| Security Council Press Statement | |
| 25 January 2018SC/13179 | This was a press statement welcoming further cooperation and coordination between UNRCCA, the Central Asian States, and relevant regional organisations, including those organisations of which the Central Asian States are members. |
