On October 15 and 16, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Turkmenistan held webinars on preparatory measures for the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The webinars were held within the framework of a joint project with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan “Platform for the Implementation of SDGs, Phase III”.

Thus, on October 15, a webinar on the topic “Ways to protect the services market in the context of trade liberalization within the WTO using the example of financial services” was held with the participation of UNDP international expert Alexandra Mochalova.

The expert noted the following:

“Financial services are a key element of a country’s economic stability and growth, and many governments are seeking to regulate the sector in ways that facilitate better integration of the state into the global economy while protecting national interests”.

The webinar participants, including representatives of national ministries and departments of Turkmenistan, were introduced to the instruments for protecting the financial services market provided for by the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as measures not regulated by the GATS, such as emergency safeguard measures and subsidies.

The webinar with the participation of UNDP international expert Maxim Medvedkov was held on October 16. The expert noted that the introduction of GATS rules into the national legislation of Turkmenistan will give a positive impetus to the development and improvement of regulation of access to the services market. This, in turn, will lead to increased investment and expanded opportunities for consumers. The expert also presented an analytical report, which examined measures to bring Turkmenistan's legislation into line with the provisions of the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Participants discussed initiatives for domestic regulation of services and the possibility of incorporating WTO norms on domestic regulation into national legislation.

Both webinars, which were held in the building of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, were attended by about 35 representatives from more than 20 national ministries and departments, as well as leading universities of Turkmenistan, according to a UNDP press release.

The project “Platform for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, Phase III”, implemented by UNDP and the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, serves as a joint platform for coordinating the efforts of relevant ministries, departments and UN agencies to achieve the SDGs. The project aims to monitor progress in achieving the SDGs, study international practices in financing sustainable development, and take measures to prepare for accession to the WTO.