Bringing People Together

Advancing Policy Through Collaboration

Valijon Turakulov, Thomas Hertel, Fazliddin Shamsiev

One of the greatest strengths of the annual GTAP Conference is its ability to bring together researchers and policymakers from around the world who share a commitment to evidence-based policy analysis. The 2026 GTAP Conference, held in Kyoto, provided a forum for 250 participants from 39 countries to exchange ideas, build professional networks, and develop new collaborations around pressing global challenges. GTAP's broader mission is rooted in lowering barriers to high-quality analysis and creating a platform for the discussion and dissemination of new ideas, bringing together a global network of more than 34,000 members.

An example of this community-building occurred at this year's conference, where two participants from Uzbekistan, Valijon Turakulov of Inha University Tashkent and Fazliddin Shamsiev of the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Uzbekistan, met for the first time. Although both are engaged in quantitative economic policy research focused on Central Asia, it was the GTAP Conference that created the opportunity for them to connect. Their story illustrates how the GTAP Network helps foster communities of researchers and policymakers from countries that may have relatively small analytical communities, enabling connections that can grow into future collaborations and strengthen policy-relevant research both nationally and internationally.

This connection was especially timely as Uzbekistan advances toward membership in the World Trade Organization. Uzbekistan first applied to join the WTO in 1994, but its accession process gained renewed momentum when active negotiations resumed in 2020. The country is working toward concluding the process in 2026. As the country evaluates market-access commitments, regulatory reforms, and the economy-wide implications of deeper integration into global trade, GTAP-based analysis can provide valuable evidence on potential impacts across industries, households, trade flows, and the broader economy. Such analysis can help researchers and policymakers identify opportunities, anticipate adjustment challenges, and support informed decision-making throughout the accession process and beyond.