The 13th trade forum sponsored by USAID with the five countries of the region was held in Almaty. Agreements worth $10.8 million in loans were signed for companies in strategic sectors, such as information technologies and green energy, which will provide employment to more than 8,000 citizens, with special attention to women, young people and the most marginalized groups.
Almaty () – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has organized the 13th Central Asia Trade Forum in Almaty, on the theme “Trade integration: building bridges globally”. The US Embassy in Kazakhstan called the initiative “an important commercial event that contributes to the development of cooperation, entrepreneurship and economic policy in the region.” In previous years, more than 10,000 representatives of state and commercial structures from 25 countries in Central and South Asia, Europe and the United States have participated in the Forum, concluding contracts worth more than 32 million dollars.
The Almaty Forum was dedicated to opening new internal and external perspectives to the economies of the countries involved, with sessions on the digitalization of the customs system, transport and logistics, respect for local trade agreements and attention to the rules of the World Trade Organization. The Director of the USAID Regional Mission, Luis Rivera, pointed out that the success of the Forum is guaranteed by the constant presence of politicians, prominent businessmen and experts in the various sectors involved.
Special events have been organized to attract even more interested parties to the Forum programme, with a large exhibition of all types of items with 40 companies from the five Central Asian countries, in the fields of agriculture, textile and tailoring production and other areas. To this was added another Pakistan-Kazakhstan exhibition to demonstrate Pakistan’s commercial potential and the possible international agreements in which it participates.
The regional meeting of national committees for the simplification of trade procedures between the countries of Central Asia was also held, with the participation of the administrative bodies of the countries concerned, responsible for border controls, and also numerous representatives of the private sector. . The route maps were revised, taking into account the numerous border negotiations in these areas, in order to optimize the different relationships in them.
The meeting followed the one held in Samarkand last October between the ministries in the 5+1 format, with the participation of the USAID administrator, Samantha Power, when agreements of various kinds were signed, starting with the activation of green energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide derivatives, and passing through new technologies and increasing their effectiveness. Another issue was the simplification of trade procedures, with the modernization of border exchanges, expanding the use of common and automated protocols, but respecting the regulations of each State.
Investment in the private sector will be encouraged, and USAID has agreed to grant $10.8 million to start 100 small, medium and large businesses. They will mainly be start-ups entrusted to representatives of marginalized social groups and active in crucial sectors, such as information technologies and green energy, which will employ more than 8,000 citizens of Central Asian countries, with special attention to women, young people and the least valued groups of the population, projecting them towards 21st century jobs.
1.5 million euros will be allocated to a new program to improve the quality of information on the Internet and in the press, raise awareness about misinformation and fight against it. All programs emphasize the transparency of business in Asian countries, providing all the innovative techniques that American companies possess, for greater integration between East and West.
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