Capacity building on trade in services for the delegation of Uzbekistan on accession to WTO

February 10, 2020

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In collaboration with the Secretariat of World Trade Organization, we have organized a three-day training workshop and consultations for the members of the Negotiating Group on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO. Focusing on the preparing for negotiations on trade in services within the WTO, as well as compiling schedules of specific commitments on services during January 22-24 in Geneva (Switzerland).

The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan undertakes comprehensive work for conducting the 4th Working Party meeting on accession of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in particular, preparing the country’s services offer.

Negotiations on the access of foreign suppliers to the services market of Uzbekistan is one of the four main areas of negotiations on the accession of Uzbekistan to the WTO. The purpose of negotiations is to agree on the conditions for admission of foreign services and service providers to the Uzbek market, as well as exemptions from the most favored nation treatment (MFN).

In this regards, the organized training and consultations were directed to improve the negotiation skills of the members of the Negotiating Group of Uzbekistan in the field of trade in services and learning the details of compiling schedule of specific commitments for accessing the services market, in particular telecommunications, transport and financial sectors.

Also, during the visit of the Negotiating Group, headed by Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mr B.Abidov, 16 meetings were held with the senior management and units of the WTO Secretariat, heads of diplomatic missions of key WTO member countries, as well as with the heads of its regional groups. Following the results of the negotiations, relevant measures were elaborated to prepare appropriate documents required for conducting the 4th Working Party meeting on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO in Geneva in 2020, as well as further steps in the framework of cooperation in this direction.

Important to highlight, that our trade development activities are carried out in accordance with the Action Strategy for Uzbekistan Development 2017-2021, with the focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The ‘Aid for Trade in Uzbekistan’ project is aimed to support Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process, developing trade, building productive and export capacities for niche products in employment-rich and potentially green sectors to contribute to more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable growth patterns.

The project is funded by the Government of the Russian Federation and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.