Afghanistan Trade and Revenue Project – Kyrgyz Republic

Duration:
November 2013 - November 2017

Implementing Partner:
Chemonics International

Key Partners:
Ministry of Economy, State Customs Services under Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyz Republic

Activity Locations:
Nationwide

Activity Areas
Increasing trade, investment, and economic cooperation among countries in Central Asia and South Asia is critical for regional economic development, stability, and security. The region includes, and is surrounded by, countries of various degrees of transit and transport efficiency and risk. Although most of the project resources are focused on assistance to Afghanistan, ATAR operates in four Central Asian countries: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to support each country’s objectives to advance regional integration and trade.

In Kyrgyzstan, ATAR is providing technical assistance to improve trade and transit facilitation under a variety of mechanisms including bilateral and/or regional trade, transit, transport agreements as well as membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).  The project:

  1. Focuses on improving the capacity of the private sector to identify and orient business to regional opportunities, develop a voice on a regional scale, and advocate for regional trade enhancing policies.
  2. Works closely with the Ministry of Economy to establish a National Trade Facilitation Committee and to begin implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.
  3. Helps the State Customs Service and private sector entities with interests lying in import/export/transit to reestablish a meaningful Consultative Council State Customs Service.
  4. Provides expert Customs advisory assistance whenever requested.

Current key activities in Kyrgyzstan:

  • Conducting workshops in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and other donors focused on implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreemen
  • Assistance to the State Customs Service on risk management, post-clearance audit, the authorized economic operator (AEO) concept, and any other requested Customs subject to Kyrgyz Customs;
  • Supporting greater Customs to Customs and Customs to Trade cooperation and information exchange;
  • Assisting the Ministry of Transport and Communications to change the status of the Karamyk border crossing from bi-lateral to international;
  • Jointly with ADB – support for CBTA implementation and the governments acceptance of the Protocol granting Afghanistan full CBTA membership.