A meeting on trade facilitation was held in Dushanbe on September 26–28 and gathered international and local experts to: 1) discuss Tajikistan’s experience as a member of the WTO, the current trade and customs procedures being applied in the country since it became a WTO member, and its compliance with the WTO trade facilitation agreement and 2) develop recommendations for further trade facilitation measures. The WTO approved Tajikistan’s accession in December 2012 and declared March 2, 2013 as the official entry date. Tajikistan became the 159th member of the WTO and the second Central Asian country to be admitted.

This BOMCA activity aimed at providing advisory assistance to the Central Asian countries in assessing their trade facilitation measures. In the case of Tajikistan, the focus was on support and capacity building in the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), taking into the account that participation in the WTO implies a stable and transparent legislation based on multilateral rules.

WTO accession was a big step forward for Tajikistan on its way to becoming an economically viable state. However, as was stated by the national experts, the implementation of the commitments made in the course of accession remains an important task for the future. In many sectors, accession to the WTO requires comprehensive changes in business practices and large-scale training and monitoring to develop a strong non-traditional export base.

During bilateral meetings and workshops, both international and local experts reviewed the existing legal framework and appropriate administrative arrangements in Tajikistan, especially focusing on legislative changes made after accession to the WTO. Several important measures to further liberalize its trade regime still need to be taken by the government. These measures would enable the relevant ministries and agencies, as well as the private sector, to benefit from the opportunities and meet the challenges of WTO membership. The national experts at the meeting continued to demonstrate their commitment to implementing the domestic reforms based on a solid consensus among the major stakeholders.

Based on the findings, discussions and exchange of information with the national experts, a comparative analysis report will be prepared on the trade facilitation measures applied in Tajikistan and their compatibility with the WTO TFA provisions. This document will serve as the guidelines for advancing trade facilitation measures, which would foster future economic growth and prosperity for the country, increase the attractiveness of the country for foreign investment and accelerate its integration in the world economy.