Launched in November 2008, the Central Asia Competitiveness Initiative is part of the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme. It aims to help create a sound business climate for investment, enhance productivity, support entrepreneurship, develop the private sector, and build knowledge-based economies to render the region more competitive and attractive to foreign investment in the Central Asia region.
Participating countries
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Located at the crossroads of East and West, and with a total population of almost 100 million people, an educated workforce and abundant energy resources, Central Asia (including Afghanistan and Mongolia) is emerging as an attractive destination for investment and trade. In order to boost competitiveness of participating countries and the region as a whole, the Central Asia Initiative is working with governments and the private sector to strengthen legal and economic institutions, develop the SME sector, and increase capacity of business representative organisations.
This initiative:
improves competitiveness in participating countries through better policy design and implementation
supports private sector development with a focus on SMEs
fosters economic development and stability
encourages regional integration
To achieve these objectives, the initiative encourages the exchange of best practices and experiences in policy reforms relevant to improving the business climate, support regional dialogue, and assists governments in developing policies that build a dynamic business environment for local businesses and foreign investors.
The work programme is structured in 3 steps:
a regional policy review identifies sector-specific policy barriers to business climate reform and priority policy reform requirements
a regional forum for dialogueand peer review facilitates the exchange and application of OECD instruments, tools and methodologies, and develop recommendations to address policy barriers and reform initiatives
strategic support helps governments implement structural reform in targeted policy areas, and capacity-building efforts in the region
