UNDP jointly with ‘WTO Expertise Center’ (Russia), with financial support of the Russian Federation, are organizing a series of seminars and trainings on issues related to the WTO and accession process during November 9-20, 2020, aimed at strengthening the knowledge and skills of the members of Negotiation Group on the accession of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

More than 40 experts from key ministries, agencies and research institutions of Uzbekistan, involved in the negotiation process of the country’s accession to the WTO are taking part in the WTO issues and accession process capacity building programme. Seminars and trainings are conducted by the experts of ‘WTO Expertise Center’ (Russia) with the involvement of specialists from the Higher School of Economics (Moscow).

The program of seminars includes the study of key WTO Agreements, such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, General Agreement on Trade in Services, Agreement on Agriculture, Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, etc. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the main obligations and potential complications in implementing WTO Agreements. Along with this, the program is aimed at illuminating specifics of WTO Agreements and state regulation of trade in the areas of agriculture, trade in services and state trading enterprises.

The seminars are delivered in an interactive form with group discussions and debates on various aspects of WTO Agreements. Participants also examine practical cases of applying provisions of WTO Agreements in international practice and practical experience of the Russian Federation.

Apart from the seminars, the Negotiating Group will be trained in negotiating market access on goods and services, commitments in agricultural sector and issues of systematic character. The trainings will involve analysis of important aspects and potential complications during the preparation of market access offers on goods and services, as well as issues of building a negotiation strategy and tactics, including with a focus on practical conclusions, theoretical approaches, results, proven methods and history of the accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO.

Based on the results of the programme, participants are expected to successfully apply the acquired knowledge and skills during the bilateral and multilateral negotiations with WTO Members, as well as harmonizing national legislation with the WTO rules.

To recall, the Fourth Working Party meeting on the accession of the Uzbekistan to the WTO was held in July of this year with the technical assistance of UNDP after 15 years of dormancy. At the next stages, the Government of Uzbekistan, among other things, is expected to hold bilateral negotiations with interested WTO Members in order to conclude bilateral agreements on market access on goods and services, as well as bring national legislation in line with the WTO rules.

The UNDP trade development activities are carried out in accordance with the Action Strategy for Uzbekistan Development 2017-2021, with focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN Member States.

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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.