On May 30-June 2, 2017, as a follow-on to CLDP’s Trans-Caspian Workshop on Trade Facilitation and Cross-Border Issues, Michael Cofield was invited to participate in the 16^th Annual International Trade and Transport Week (ITTW) in Odessa, Ukraine and to present as part of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Seminar on Trade and Transport Facilitation.

The Fourth Meeting of the CLDP-facilitated Central Asia-Afghanistan Expert Level Working Group on Standards, February 20-22, 2017, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, featured the full attendance and participation of government officials from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

As part of CLDP’s effort to further serve the goals of the U.S.-Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the U.S. Government inter-agency New Silk Road Initiative, CLDP has undertaken to support and develop Central Asia-Afghanistan Working Groups on Customs, Standards, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. Pursuant to this effort, CLDP facilitated the fourth meeting of the SPS Expert Level Central Asia-Afghanistan Working Group in Rome, Italy on June 21-23, 2016, in coordination with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) based in Rome, Italy. Participants included customs officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

CLDP organized the meetings of the SPS Working Group in Istanbul, Turkey in November 2015. Over twenty participants included SPS officials from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.