On May 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the process of Uzbekistanʼs accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the measures being taken to accelerate it.

Since 2023, efforts to join the WTO have been carried out under the direct oversight of the President. During this time, significant progress has been made in both multilateral and bilateral negotiations.

Specifically, four major meetings of the WTO Working Party have been held, during which more than 500 issues were raised. Over 30 official documents have been submitted to the WTO Secretariat. To expedite accession, systematic reforms are being implemented across various sectors.

As part of bilateral negotiations, talks have been conducted with 33 countries, of which agreements have been concluded with 24 so far.

In dialogues with WTO members, Uzbekistanʼs new approaches and reforms have been positively received, further confirming the countryʼs strong commitment.

In this context, extensive legal and institutional reforms have been introduced to align national legislation with WTO requirements. Specifically, 13 laws, 10 presidential decrees and resolutions, 19 Cabinet of Ministers resolutions, and 10 inter-agency regulatory documents have been adopted.

For example, customs procedures, export-import regulations, and mechanisms related to intellectual property have been gradually brought into compliance with WTO standards. Exclusive rights were abolished in six state-owned enterprises.

At the meeting, the President issued instructions to further accelerate the accession process and ensure it is organized in a structured and high-quality manner.

According to the plan, by the end of this year, Uzbekistan is expected to complete bilateral negotiations with the remaining nine countries, convene two additional meetings of the WTO Working Party, and finalize the draft Working Party Report, thus consolidating Uzbekistanʼs international commitments within the framework of the WTO.

The need to accelerate the adoption of nearly 15 legal acts, including the development of new versions of the laws “On quality and safety of food products”, “On protective measures, anti-dumping and countervailing duties”, in close and effective cooperation with the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis was also pointed out.

Reforms in the areas of technical regulation, sanitation, phytosanitary measures, and veterinary services were also highlighted, along with the importance of improving the quality of training for specialists in these fields.