Ahead of the 5th Working Party meeting on the accession of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheduled for December 2021, UNDP jointly with WTO Expertise Center (Russia) organized a series of seminars and training on WTO rules and the accession process. This technical assistance activity was aimed at building knowledge capacity of Uzbekistan government officials on trade remedies, non-tariff measures, special and differential treatment, potential benefits and challenges of the accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) before and after WTO membership, negotiations with WTO Members on market access in services and agricultural goods. 

The five-week-long capacity-building event was organized virtually between 16 September and 7 October 2021. It involved more than 100 participants from the key ministries and government agencies engaged in the accession process of Uzbekistan to the WTO. The programme covered four thematic seminars and two training delivered by qualified trade experts from the WTO Expertise Center (Russia) who were directly involved in the WTO accession process of Russia.

The technical assistance activity covered the issues of (i) implementation of the WTO trade remedy rules (antidumping, countervailing, and safeguard measures), (ii) imposing non-tariff barriers to trade upon WTO accession, (iii) available mechanisms to support the local producers and other special and differential treatment provisions reserved to developing countries, (iv) synchronization of commitments while acceding the WTO and potential membership in the EAEU, (v) negotiating positions and tactics on market access in services and agricultural products.

Seminars and training were conducted in an interactive form with group discussions and debates on various aspects of WTO Agreements and the accession process. In addition, former Chief Negotiator on the Accession of Russian Federation to the WTO, Mr. Maxim Medvedkov, shared his unique experience on bilateral and multilateral accession negotiations and peculiarities of implementation of WTO commitments by the Russian Government. He noted that the access process to the WTO requires a lot of resources. “The Russian Federation, as a strong supporter of the multilateral trading system, strongly supports Uzbekistan's efforts to become a member of the WTO. We are confident that our accumulated experience in the accession process to the WTO can be useful for our colleagues from Uzbekistan in conducting trade negotiations with WTO member countries” he said.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Doina Munteanu highlighted the government’s need in training its experts and avoiding over-reliance on outside professionals. “Capacity building represents an important element of the accession process to the WTO. It further lays the foundation for the effective participation of a country in the work of the WTO as a full-fledged member. UNDP remains committed to continuing to support the Government of Uzbekistan in its accession journey to the WTO” she said.

It is expected that the acquired knowledge and skills would be of particular use in the course of bilateral and multilateral negotiation tracks with WTO Members within the 5th Working Party meeting on the Accession of Uzbekistan to the WTO to be held in December this year.

To recall, Uzbekistan resumed WTO membership negotiations when the Working Party on the accession of Uzbekistan met the 4th time on 7 July 2020 – almost 15 years after its last formal meeting. 

In order to finalize the accession process, the Government of Uzbekistan is expected to, among others, conclude bilateral agreements with interested WTO Members on market access in goods and services, as well as bring the country’s legislation and practices in line with WTO rules.

The UNDP trade development activities are carried out under the Action Strategy for Uzbekistan Development 2017-2021, with a 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.