CLDP, in coordination with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), organized the inaugural meeting of the Customs Working Group as part of the Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meetings on June 9-13, 2014 in Washington, DC.  The meeting aimed to develop the Customs Working Group into a mechanism for regional communication, cooperation, and collaboration among Central Asia customs services. CLDP brought together 14 customs officials and private sector representatives from TIFA member states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and, in an observer status to the TIFA, Afghanistan. The participants discussed the organizational framework for establishing and maintaining the structure of continued collaborative work on customs issues in the Central Asia region. The Working Group focused on a) sharing information regarding recent customs reforms in each country; b) identifying customs priorities shared by all members of the Working Group; c) establishing objectives and concrete goals for subsequent Working Group meetings; and d) discussing the structure and membership obligations of the Working Group. 

The participants explored the role of customs services in global value chains, as well as World Trade Organization (WTO) standards in trade facilitation, customs valuation, and intellectual property enforcement. In sessions led by representatives from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP), the Working Group also had the opportunity to discuss a coordinated regional approach to intellectual property rights and customs valuation. The group attended the TIFA Council meeting hosted by USTR, where regional and international trade objectives and developments were discussed.

CLDP is planning to support the next meeting of the Customs Working Group in September 2014 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where the group will continue to exchange information, develop the framework for cooperation, and explore the application of international best practices on customs valuation and risk management  to the particular regional challenges.