Trade and Investment Division
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)


Accession to the World Trade Organization: Issues and recommendations for
Central Asian and Caucasian economies in transition (ST/ESCAP/2160)




CONTENTS

Foreword
Abbreviations
  1. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SUBREGIONAL
    WORKSHOP ON ACCESSION TO WTO – ECONOMIES
    IN TRANSITION

  2. ISSUES IN ACCESSION TO WTO FOR ECONOMIES IN
    TRANSITION IN CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA:
    AN OVERVIEW
    1. Introduction
    2. Accession to the WTO: the process
      1. Preparations for application
      2. Formal application (notification)
      3. Working Party formation
      4. Preparation of the Foreign Trade Regime
        Memorandum by the acceding country
      5. Questions and comments from existing
        members
      6. Negotiations
      7. Draft Protocol and Vote
    3. Trade and trade policy in the economies in transition:
      an overview
      1. Caucasus
      2. Central Asia
    4. Experiences with the WTO accession process:
      obstacles and problems to effective transition
      1. Market economy status
      2. WTO-related organizational and bureaucratic
        problems
      3. Lack of national institutional capacity, skills
        and sustained economic reforms
      4. Excessive and stringent demands from WTO
        members
      5. Conflicting commitments under RTAs and
        other international agreements
    5. Conclusions and recommendations

  3. COUNTRY PAPERS ON ACCESSION TO THE WTO
    1. Armenia
      1. Introduction
      2. Review of past and current trade and trade
        policies
      3. Accession to the WTO: an assessment of
        progress
      4. Conclusions and recommendations
    2. Azerbaijan
      1. Introduction
      2. Review of past and present trade policies
      3. Accession of Azerbaijan to the WTO:
        an assessment of progress
      4. Conclusions and recommendations
    3. Georgia
      1. Introduction
      2. Georgia’s accession to the WTO: an
        evaluation and lessons learnt
      3. Overview of trade policy before and after
        WTO accession
      4. Conclusions and recommendations
    4. Kazakhstan
      1. Introduction
      2. Analysis of trade and trade policy during
        1992-2000
      3. Process of accession of Kazakhstan to the
        WTO
      4. Problems faced by Kazakhstan for effective
        accession
      5. Conclusions and recommendations
    5. Kyrgyzstan
      1. Introduction
      2. Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the WTO:
        evaluation and obtained experience
      3. Overview of trade policy before and after
        WTO accession
      4. Conclusions and recommendations
    6. Tajikistan
      1. Introduction
      2. Tajikistan: an economic overview
      3. Trade and investment policies
      4. Preparations for accession to WTO
      5. Conclusions
    7. Turkmenistan
      1. Introduction
      2. Status of economic reforms
      3. The external sector
      4. Trade regulations, customs and standards
      5. Tariff rates, taxes and surcharges
      6. Obstacles to WTO membership
      7. Recommendations
    8. Uzbekistan
      1. Introduction
      2. Review of trade policy implemented in
        Uzbekistan over the last 10 years
      3. Foreign trade regime of Uzbekistan
      4. Policy and legislation of Uzbekistan in the area
        of protection of intellectual property rights
      5. Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO: an
        assessment of progress
      6. Benefits for Uzbekistan from WTO
        membership
      7. Conclusions and recommendations
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Last updated: 31 December 2001