Meetings with representatives of business communities and research institutes were held on the eve of the 5th Meeting of the Working Group on Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), scheduled for December 2021.

UNDP organized two roundtable discussions together with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan and the WTO Secretariat. Participants discussed the current state of the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO and the impact of accession on the development of the private sector, as well as considered the main advantages and benefits of membership.

The event was attended by more than 50 representatives of ministries and agencies, industry associations and private businesses.

Participants shared the process, results and best practices for countries' accession to the WTO, praised the systematic and consistent measures taken in Uzbekistan, and also expressed readiness to provide comprehensive support to the country in the process of joining the organization and to intensify joint work in this direction to promptly solve common tasks.

It should be noted that Uzbekistan received observer status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in June 1994, and a Working Negotiating Group on the country's accession to the WTO was established in 1998. In July 2020, Uzbekistan, WTO and representatives of several countries held the fourth meeting of this group after an almost 15-year break.

O.Kharchenko, UzA