The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and addressed the second Central Asia Trade Policy Forum in Almaty. The forum, organized by the WTO in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the International Trade Centre, marks the first leg of her visit to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan.
According to the News and Events webpage by WTO, the thematic focus of the Central Asia Trade Policy Forum is "Economic integration through WTO accession and membership." Senior government officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will attend, along with representatives from international organizations and the private sector.
According to a press release by WTO, Okonjo-Iweala said, "Central Asia is of great significance to the WTO and a key missing piece in the global multilateral trading system. On balance, the accession experience from the region has been rather positive. Tajikistan and Kazakhstan followed the Kyrgyz Republic's early lead and became fully-fledged WTO members in 2013 and 2015 respectively."
The Forum aims to promote Central Asia's integration into the multilateral trading system through WTO accessions and share experiences and lessons learned to enhance participants' understanding of WTO accession and membership.
Okonjo-Iweala said, "However, to fully seize this potential, the region will have to combine investments in hard infrastructure with investments in soft infrastructure — what we might think of as 'trade policy connectivity'. The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement contributes to such connectivity by encouraging measures like the harmonization of customs and transit procedures."
According to a press release by WTO, the Central Asia Trade Policy Forum is scheduled until 5 June. It will include discussions on technical support for accession processes and post-accession phases, trade facilitation, and the intersection of trade and environmental issues.