ADB Backs Uzbekistan’s WTO Reforms and Investment Drive

At TIIF 2025, a dedicated panel session highlighted Uzbekistan’s push to join the World Trade Organization by 2026, linking the accession process to broader investment climate reforms.

The session, Attracting Sustainable Investment: from Reform to Success, brought together officials from the OECD, ADB, EU, and the Uzbek government. ADB Country Director Kanokpan Lao-Araya said the bank’s $14 bn portfolio in Uzbekistan now includes efforts to integrate the country into regional and global value chains, with WTO accession as a key target.

OECD representative Fares Al-Hussami noted that Uzbekistan is revising legal provisions, including exclusive state export rights, to create equal conditions for all investors—an important requirement for WTO compliance.

Head of the Secretariat of the Foreign Investors Council Aziz Gafurov confirmed more than 40 investor-led initiatives had been submitted, with several already moving forward. Abdulla Khashimov, advisor to the minister, stressed that with 2 mln young people entering the labour market each year, private sector development is critical.

Speakers reaffirmed that reforms in trade, green energy, and digitalisation will remain central to Uzbekistan’s investment strategy.