On June 14, 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Kazakh delegation took part in a meeting of the countries participating in the United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) on cooperation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) process. At the meeting, representatives of the SPECA countries shared their experience in the WTO process and discussed the possibilities for mutual assistance. In addition, the implementation of the SPECA Trade Facilitation Strategy, efforts to achieve sustainable trade in the region, and new initiatives on standardization and digitalization of trade and multimodal transport data and document exchange in the SPECA region were discussed.
The SPECA member countries include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This program was created in the year of 1998 to strengthen regional cooperation in Central Asia and their integration into the world economy. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific provide joint support for SPECA activities.
Kazakhstan, within the framework of SPECA, is actively involved in the development of transport infrastructure, including the expansion of road networks and improving their quality, the construction of missing links of railways and the development of ports. Moreover, Kazakhstan is one of the first countries in Central Asia to conduct a self-assessment on compliance with the SPECA principles on sustainable trade.
During the meeting, the Kazakh side shared its experience in implementing measures aimed at increasing the speed and efficiency of cross-border trade procedures within the framework of a joint project with the International Trade Center “Ready4Trade – Central Asia”. One of the components of the project is the creation in the countries of Central Asia of national information portals on trade facilitation. Such portals allow identifying opportunities for simplification, harmonization, standardization and automation of formalities, increase the transparency and predictability of border formalities, and facilitate comparative analysis of Kazakhstan’s trade formalities with other countries. On July 4, 2022, it is planned to launch such a portal in Kazakhstan.
In addition, during the meeting, Kazakhstan shared its positive experience in ratifying the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation. As a result of changes in the customs legislation, the number of documents provided has been reduced, their submission has been transferred to electronic form, electronic declaration has received a priority status, simplifications have been introduced for authorized economic operators, as well as in the transit procedure, and the possibility of issuing before filing a declaration for goods has been introduced.
