The International Trade Center (ITC) will implement the European Union’s ‘Facilitating the process of Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO’ project is a five-year initiative implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC). The project aims to support Uzbekistan's development plans to modernize its economy by leveraging its WTO accession process.

The project was launched on November 10 jointly with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan (MIFT) during an online event. 

The objectives of the project are to contribute to the economic development of Uzbekistan by assisting the country to create a trade environment that is in conformity with international standards, including predictable and enforceable laws and regulations and to Uzbekistan's economic development through the creation of a trade environment that is in conformity with the WTO rules.

If the Uzbekistan's WTO accession process concludes within the implementation phase of the project, the focus of ITC's assistance will shift to support Uzbekistan's compliance with WTO requirements and implementation of the commitments made during the accession process.

Who are the beneficiaries?

• The primary beneficiary of the programme will be the ministry responsible for the WTO accession negotiations: the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT). Other direct beneficiaries will include the various government departments/agencies involved in both the pre- and post- WTO accession process.

• The project will also work closely with the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as sectoral business organizations and associations, export-import enterprises, universities, economic research centers and civil society organizations, including women, youth and consumer associations.

• The ultimate stakeholders will be the Uzbek businesses, especially SMEs as well as the consumers, in particular women, youth and people living in vulnerable and marginalized situation.

The process of Uzbekistan's WTO accession was initiated in 1994, but was frozen in 2005, due to the self-sufficiency policy that was instituted during that time.

Fast forward to 2016, where shortly after his election, President Mirziyoyev initiated a broad package of socio-economic reforms and transformation aimed at trade liberalization and modernization of domestic trade regime. Following these reforms, the process of accession to the WTO was renewed through a formal application to the WTO Secretariat signed by the Minister of Foreign Trade in March 2018. In July 2019, Uzbekistan circulated its updated Memorandum of Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) to the WTO members, as well as later on a number of other required WTO accession documents, including initial market access offers on goods and services. The progress made by Uzbekistan resulted in the support by WTO members in carrying out the 4th Working Party on the accession of Uzbekistan to the WTO, which took place on July 7th, 2020 after almost fifteen years of standstill in the negotiations. This milestone event has marked Uzbekistan's return to the negotiating table and its government's dedication and efforts made towards joining the WTO membership. Next developments in the accession process will depend on the progress achieved in upcoming bilateral and multilateral negotiations as well as the alignment of Uzbekistan's trade regulatory regime with the WTO rules and regulations.