DDG Hill noted Uzbekistan's accession process has accelerated in recent years, in great part due to the active political engagement of President Mirziyoyev. Recent presidential decrees have focused on integrating Uzbekistan more closely with its immediate region and more widely with the international community, she said, with important reforms being pursued in key areas, such as the role of state trading enterprises, export restrictions and subsidies, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and trade facilitation.

"Uzbekistan has been one of the most active acceding governments of late. It has pushed ahead with economic reform, in the strategic region of Central Asia, with WTO accession very high on the government's agenda. Reforms associated with the accession process play an important role in the future growth of the acceding country," said DDG Hill.

She also cited the WTO's World Trade Report 2024, which found that economies that reform their markets during the WTO accession process grew on average 1.5 percentage points more than economies that did not reform. Moreover, reforming economies continued to grow faster even after accession to the WTO, with greater diversification in their trade and stability in export growth. Other factors that boosted trade included the predictability of trade policy as a result of meeting WTO commitments, and good governance.  She thanked WTO members and development partners for the continuous support for Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO. Her full remarks are available here.

The high-level meeting was organized as a side event at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings and hosted by the World Bank. Vice President for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank Antonella Bassani said that Uzbekistan's actions and changes in policy were notable and pledged the Bank's assistance in key reform areas in support of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO.

Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said that Uzbekistan's reforms towards a market driven economy, guided by the overarching vision of Uzbekistan's 2030 Strategy, have led to more efficient resource allocation and increased competitiveness, aligning with the broader agenda of Uzbekistan's WTO accession.

Following the adoption of Presidential Decree No. PD-85 of 3 June 2024, he said that "Uzbekistan is continuing to take bold and decisive actions to align its economic and legal frameworks with international standards as part of its path toward WTO accession." He also noted that the capacity building assistance provided by the WTO, IMF and World Bank as well as international donors has been invaluable in preparing Uzbekistan to adopt best practices and to join the WTO by 2026.

Uzbekistan's Chief Negotiator Azizbek Urunov emphasized the renewed momentum in Uzbekistan's accession since 2023, on both multilateral and bilateral negotiation tracks. On the bilateral front, he said that Uzbekistan has reached agreement on market access with 20 members, a significant achievement, considering no agreements had been negotiated at the beginning of 2023. He noted the importance of comprehensive legislative reform, underlining that a mechanism has been introduced for the mandatory examination of all legislative proposals to ensure compliance of all new legislation with international norms.

"In the years ahead, we will continue to focus on building the institutions and infrastructure that will support Uzbekistan’s integration into the global economy. WTO membership is just the beginning; it is the foundation upon which we will build a more prosperous, diversified, and resilient economy," he said.

The event also featured H.E. Furqat Sidikov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States; Ms. Mona Haddad, Global Director of Trade, at the World Bank; Mr. Koba Gvenetadze, Resident Representative at the IMF; Ms. Zhanar Aitzhan, former Minister and Chief Negotiator of Kazakhstan; as well as representatives of the US Government and the private sector. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Antonio Nucifora, Practice Manager for Economic Policy Global Practice at the World Bank.