General Information

The initiative to establish CICA was first put forward on 5 October 1992 by President of Kazakhstan, H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, during the 47th session of the UN General Assembly. The main aim of the initiative was to create an effective and universal platform for ensuring security in Asia. The initiative was supported by a number of states, including Azerbaijan.

CICA currently has 28 members (Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Qatar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kuwait).

In addition, 10 countries (the USA, Belarus, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Laos, the Philippines, Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia), as well as international organizations such as the UN, the OSCE, the International Organization for Migration, the League of Arab States and TURKPA, hold observer status in CICA. The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, the Organization of Economic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Eurasian Economic Union are partner organizations of CICA.

CICA's administrative body is the Secretariat based in Astana, which coordinates the Conference's day-to-day activities. The CICA Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General.

The direction and priorities of CICA's activities are set by the chairing state. Under the current Rules of Procedure, the chairing country is elected by consensus for a two-year term. At the CICA Ministerial Meeting held on 17 December 2024 the chairmanship of the Conference passed from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.

CICA's main decision-making bodies are the Council of Heads of State and Government (Summit), the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and the Committee of Senior Officials. In addition, mechanisms such as specialized working groups and expert meetings are utilized within the CICA framework to discuss cooperation issues among Member States in specific fields. All decisions within CICA are taken by consensus.

The main documents governing CICA's activities are the "Declaration on the Principles Guiding Relations between CICA Member States," adopted in 1999, and the "Almaty Act," adopted in 2002.

In accordance with the UN Charter, the Almaty Act reflects important principles such as respect for the territorial integrity of states, non-interference in internal affairs, refraining from the use of force or the threat of force; combating terrorism and its root causes, and not allowing any state's territory to be used for terrorist purposes; strengthening the fight against separatism, given the threat it poses to security and stability, and ensuring that no member state provides it with economic, financial or any other assistance; and giving priority to the peaceful settlement of disputes as a basis for implementing confidence-building measures.

With the aim of defining the main directions of cooperation among CICA Member States, the "CICA Catalogue of Confidence-Building Measures" was adopted at the conclusion of the second meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 22 October 2004. The catalogue was updated in 2024. It reflects the following five confidence-building dimensions, implemented among member states on a voluntary basis: military-political, new threats and challenges, economic, environmental, and human dimensions.

To more effectively organize cooperation within the Conference in specific areas, coordinating and co-coordinating states have been designated for individual areas of cooperation. The Republic of Azerbaijan serves as the coordinator of confidence-building activities in the area of " Development of secure and effective systems of transportation corridors."

In addition to confidence-building measures in various fields, specialized bodies also operate within the CICA framework. In this regard, a Youth Council for cooperation on youth policy, a Business Council for the development of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship, and a Think Tank Forum for research cooperation have been established within CICA. In addition, CICA Council of Eminent Persons has also been established.

In 2025, during Azerbaijan's Chairmanship of CICA, the Conference's Women's Council and Finance Council were founded.

Azerbaijan's Chairmanship of CICA for 2024–2026

Azerbaijan assumed the Chairmanship of CICA, on 17 December 2024, and since then our country has achieved concrete results in the strategic priority areas defined under the theme of "Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia."

Decisive steps have been taken toward developing closer cooperation within CICA, while also advancing its institutional development and promoting its goals and principles on international platforms. Azerbaijani Chairmanship is working to strengthen cross-sectoral interaction, including in the economic, humanitarian and environmental dimensions, and to promote connectivity, digitalization and sustainability, which have been identified as priorities.

The CICA Partnership Network of Leading Universities (PNLU), an innovative cooperation platform among higher education institutions of CICA Member States, has become operational. The first meeting of the Network's Coordinating Council was held online on 21 February, and its first conference was held jointly with ADA University, the Chair of the Coordinating Council, in Baku on 2-3 December, on the theme "The Role of Universities in Green Energy and Sustainability."

As a key initiative of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship under the priority direction of CICA's institutional development, the Charter of the CICA Women's Council was drafted and agreed upon within a short period. On 14 April 2026 the first meeting of the CICA Women's Council was successfully held in Baku, alongside international conference on “Amplifying women’s voices across CICA for Sustainable Growth”.

In parallel, negotiations on the draft Charter of the CICA Finance Summit were concluded during Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship in 2025, and the document was finally approved.

The Azerbaijani Chairmanship has also prioritized strengthening synergy and joint action among CICA's various bodies and structures, successfully hosting the CICA Business Council and Business Forum, the CICA Youth Forum twice, and the 13th CICA Think Tank Forum. The events held have provided an important platform for results-oriented cooperation aimed at promoting confidence and interaction in the CICA region in the areas of connectivity, digitalization and sustainable development.

Furthermore, necessary work has been carried out, together with relevant state bodies, toward organizing events aimed at implementation of confidence-building measures within CICA. In this regard, various events have been held, both online and in person, in such fields as the economy, new threats and challenges, tourism, and digitalization.

In addition, Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship is ensuring progress in the process of CICA’s transformation into an international organization. At the current stage, in line with the 2022 Astana Declaration on CICA's transformation and the Roadmap for Transformation, negotiations on the draft Charter are underway among Member States.

At a time of growing transnational threats and challenges to international and regional peace, stability and sustainable development, a notable step taken to strengthen CICA's cooperation with international and other regional organizations serving similar principles and goals. This intention was confirmed at the “CICA Ministerial Council Statement on the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations” adopted at the New York Ministerial Meeting of 2025, within the framework of the high-level week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. The Council of Ministers' statement highly commended the efforts of Azerbaijan's CICA Chairmanship.

During 2025-2026, the Secretary General of CICA made numerous visits to our country, during which discussions and consultations were held regarding Azerbaijan's Chairmanship of CICA. Mr. Kayrat Sarybay was also received by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and held meetings with a number of state bodies.

Azerbaijan's efforts in promoting institutionalization and results-oriented interaction within CICA are significantly enhancing the effectiveness of CICA as a platform for dialogue, confidence-building and multilateral cooperation in Asia. As we move toward the Summit to be held in Azerbaijan on 15 October 2026, work will continue toward achieving a stronger CICA.