Within the framework of the SESRIC project titled “Improving the Regulatory Framework for PPPs in Transport Sector in the OIC Member Countries”, which is funded by the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) under the 9th Call for Project Proposals of COMCEC Project Funding, the Centre organised a Training Course on “Regulatory Framework for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Transport Sector” on 13-14 September 2022 through an online video conferencing platform.

The training course was attended by 75 senior-level officials from public PPP authorities as well as the relevant Ministries responsible for executing national PPP strategies and policies in the transport area in 21 OIC Member Countries.

The main objective of the training course was to strengthen the technical capacities of participants on the theoretical aspects of the regulatory framework for PPPs, including policies, laws, regulations, institutions and procedures. This training course will later be followed by a workshop, which will complement the training in terms of the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices among the relevant national authorities of the OIC Member Countries.

The training course commenced with the opening remarks of Mr. Onur ÇAĞLAR, Director of Training and Technical Cooperation at SESRIC, who emphasized the essential role of infrastructure for promoting economic growth, eradicating poverty and inequality, generating jobs, and preserving the environment. Mr. ÇAĞLAR then stressed the important role of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in addressing the infrastructure challenges by providing an opportunity for governments to access private sector financial resources, reduce upfront costs of large-scale infrastructure investments and leverage the technical expertise and efficiency of the private sector. Before concluding his remarks, he thanked the COMCEC Coordination Office for its continuous support and cooperation.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Mehmet C. AKTAŞ, Head of COMCEC Programmes and Projects Department at the COMCEC Coordination Office, briefed the session about the activities of COMCEC Coordination Office and their efforts in increasing institutional and human capacity as well as enhancing multilateral cooperation and solidarity among the OIC Member Countries through COMCEC Project Funding mechanism. He thanked SESRIC for the organisation of this training course that covers critical issues related to PPPs and also urged the participants to acquire and practice the relevant tools and methods to be highlighted in this course in accordance with the local needs and conditions.

The COMCEC Coordination Office introduced in 2013 the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF), a financing mechanism that funds projects submitted by the Member Countries and relevant OIC Institutions to realise the strategic objectives and outcomes of the COMCEC Strategy. The funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye, which is one of the main bodies in the COMCEC Project Funding scheme. Since the initiation of the CPF, SESRIC has implemented seven projects under various cooperation areas and in accordance with sectoral themes determined by the CCO. For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php

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