This note summarises analytical work carried out by the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme (ECP) as part of the OECD Central Asia Initiative. The work was funded by the government of Kazakhstan and co-ordinated on behalf of Kazakhstan by Mr Kairat Torebayev, Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, whose support and involvement were particularly appreciated.
This report was prepared under the guidance of Mr Andreas Schaal, Director of the OECD Directorate for Global Relations and Co-operation, and Mr William Tompson, Head of the OECD Eurasia Division. The project was closely supervised by Mr Grégory Lecomte, Head of the Central Asia Unit, and managed by Ms Amélie Schurich-Rey, Economist and Policy Analyst, OECD Eurasia Division.
The lead authors of this report are Mr Dylan van de Ven, Policy Analyst, OECD Eurasia Division, and Ms Silvia Sorescu, Senior Trade Policy Analyst in the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate, who conducted the OECD’s Trade Facilitation Indicator analysis. Valuable analytical support was provided by Ms Amélie Schurich-Rey and Ms Céleste Laporte Talamon, Policy Analysts, Ms Ryskul Iskakova, Policy Analyst (Staff on Loan), as well as Mr Daniel Poloyko, Junior Policy Analyst, all in the OECD’s Eurasia Division. Ms Anna Chahtahtinsky and Ms Elisa Larrakoetxea, Programme Administrators in the OECD Eurasia Division, provided unfailing administrative and logistical support.
The project would not have been possible without the continuous support of, and dialogue with, representatives of ministries and state agencies. In particular, the OECD would like to express its gratitude to Mr Serik Zhumangarin, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration, Mr Arman Shakkaliyev, Minister of Trade and Integration, Mr Kairat Torebayev, Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration, and Mr Nurlan Kulbatyr, Deputy Director of QazTrade, for their unceasing support throughout the project. Thanks are also due to Ms Mira Zhanabergenova, Director of the Department for Export Promotion of QazTrade, Ms Assem Yasheva, Senior Manager of the Department for Export Promotion of QazTrade, Ms Ainur Amirbekova, Director of the Department for Relations with the World Trade Organization and Trade and Economic Cooperation of QazTrade, Mr. Yerzhan Shakargaliyev, Chief Expert at QazTrade, and Ms. Assel Baibolova, Chief Manager of the Export Department of QazTrade, for their continuous and vital support throughout the project.
Finally, the OECD conveys its appreciation to Mr Bakyt Omurzakov, Ms Veronika Grushevskaya, Ms Svetlana Bairamova, and Ms Ikbal Yusupova, for their dedication in organising the country-specific webinars for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, respectively.