Uzbekistan, as one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world, has a unique geographical location in Central Asia. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the north, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the east, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the south-west. It is the most populated country in Central Asia, with a population of 34.2 million in 2021.[1] With a large cotton industry, and being rich in natural resources such as gold and natural gas, Uzbekistan possesses extensive trade opportunities.
Since 2017, Uzbekistan has been undergoing a wide range of reforms to make the transition to a market-based economy. Trade development is among the priorities of the Government’s reform agenda, including in the recently adopted Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022–2026”.[2]
Uzbekistan is actively pursuing both regional and global integration. At the regional level, this includes the Government’s efforts to expand its trade relations with other Central Asian countries[3] and the Eurasian Economic Union.[4] As chair of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) in 2021,[5] Uzbekistan has also actively shaped deliberations of the SPECA Working Groups.[6] To strengthen regional cooperation and implementation of investment projects, the Government hosted the first meeting of the SPECA Investment and Financial Cooperation Working Group in Uzbekistan in 2021.[7]
[1] World Bank, “Population, total – Uzbekistan”. Available at https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=UZ.
[2] Available at https://lex.uz/docs/5841063 (in Uzbek).
[3] Detailed information on cooperation between the countries of Central Asia, as a factor in ensuring their development, is available at https://review.uz/en/post/cooperation-between-the-countries-of-central-asia-as-a-factor-in-ensuring-their-developmen.
[4] See Strategy, footnote 2.
[5] Available at https://mift.uz/en/news/tashkent-hosted-economic-forum-and-steering-board-meeting-of-un-special-program-for-the-economies-of-central-asia-speca.
[6] This includes the following Working Groups: Trade; Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development; Sustainable Transport; Transit and Connectivity; and Water, Energy and Environment. Available at https://unece.org/speca.