EUSupporttoIntra-RegionalandInternational Trade in CentralAsia 

Project title	Ready4 Trade Central Asia
Beneficiary countries	Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Project duration	4 years
Implementing partner	International Trade Centre (ITC)

SUMMARY

The 4-year EU-funded Project is a trade component of a larger EU-funded programme which aims to support Investment, Competitiveness and Trade in Central Asia, thus contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic development in the region. The Project will support the development of intra-regional and international trade in five Central Asian (CA) countries. This will be done by enhancing the transparency of cross-border requirements, removing regulatory and procedural barriers, strengthening business capability to comply with trade formalities and standards, as well as by improving cross-border e-commerce. The Project will be implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in close collaboration with national partners. 

The Project will target selected sectors / value chains in each country based on the export potential and accounting for participation of women in the labour force in the sector. Each intervention will be customized to meet specific needs of the beneficiary countries. A 6-month inception phase will be carried out to calibrate the project approach and customise it to each country individual needs. An initial 6-month phase has already been implemented, with the project approach being verified and adapted to the individual needs of each country. 

EXPECTED RESULTS (ER) AND ACTIVITIES PLANNED UNDER THE COMPONENT 

ER 1. Key regulatory and procedural obstacles to international trade are addressed 

• Enhancing the transparency and predictability of cross-border formalities 
• Removing or simplifying selected regulatory and procedural requirements 
• Strengthening conformity assessment bodies in demonstration of compliance 
• Fosteringproceduralandregulatory convergence within the region 

ER 2. SMEs capacities to comply with cross- border requirements (including notably quality standards, technical regulations, relevant preferential trading schemes/GSP +) are improved 

• Equip individual businesses with the necessary tools and knowledge to comply with cross- border procedural and regulatory requirements 
• Enhance BSOs capacity to assist the private sector in their internationalization initiatives 
• Build private sector capacity to contribute to the prioritization and design of trade facilitation reforms 

ER 3. Improved Central Asia countries readiness, in particular women-led companies, for conducting cross-border e-commerce

• Strengthening of e-commerce ecosystem through regulatory assessments and support and advisory services 
• Raising awareness of the requirements and main obstacles to the development of a successful e-commerce sector among the main stakeholders 
• Capacity building provided to SMEs on the fundamentals of running an e-commerce business 

ER 4. Increased opportunities for participation of women-led enterprises in international trade 

• Guiding policy decisions with gender disaggregated data in the area of trade 

• Raising awareness of border officials on gender-specific challenges faced by women traders 
• Encouraging women to engage in trade through confidence building activities and advocacy