Over 1000 government and business leaders from 27 countries in Central and South Asia, Europe, and the United States met in Tashkent on October 17 for the opening of the Eighth Central Asia Trade Forum (CATF) at the Youth Creativity Palace. This is the first time this high profile business event is being held in Uzbekistan.
Organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, this annual event has been instrumental in forging regional trade connectivity by offering business-to-business networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and facilitating discussions on the development of cross-border trade among officials in the region. This year’s theme, New Horizons in Trade and Investment, reflects the region’s increasing openness to regional and international trade and will particularly focus on financing trade and development, attracting investment, and developing tourism in Central Asia.
Speaking at the event, Charge d’Affaires Alan Meltzer noted the importance of events like CATF. “In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, we find ourselves facing new challenges that require dynamic solutions. These new challenges often come with new opportunities. Now more than ever, we need events like this forum, which create opportunities for businesses to network, exchange ideas, and connect products to new markets.”
A concurrent trade exhibition showcases over 100 businesses from a variety of sectors across the region, including transportation, tourism, information technology, equipment manufacturing and horticultural production and processing, among others. Supporting trade is one of the USAID’s priorities in the region.
CATF is supported by USAID’s Competitiveness, Trade, and Jobs Activity in Central Asia, which facilitates exports and employment in horticulture and strengthens tourism, transport and logistics services across the five Central Asian economies. By helping firms to become more regionally competitive and by addressing cross-border impediments to trade, USAID is helping to develop a more diverse and competitive private sector and generate export-driven growth.
