The Republic of Kazakhstan has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 30 November 2015.
In 2022, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the WTO was established in Geneva.
Since March 2025, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the WTO has been Kairat Torebayev.
Kazakhstan actively participates in the work of approximately 40 WTO bodies, including the General Council, the Dispute Settlement Body, the Trade Policy Review Body, and numerous councils and committees.
From 2018 to 2024, Kazakhstan chaired the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services, and in 2017 chaired the Committee on Trade and Environment.
A landmark achievement was Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Geneva from 12 to 17 June 2022.
For the first time in WTO history, the organization’s highest decision-making body was chaired by a landlocked country from the Greater Eurasian region that joined the WTO after its establishment.
Despite a challenging global environment, including the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, disruptions to global supply chains, food insecurity, inflation, and climate change, the conference concluded successfully with the adoption of a historic package of ministerial decisions.
These included the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, decisions on WTO reform, food security, electronic commerce, and preparedness for future pandemics.
In September 2024, Kazakhstan underwent its first Trade Policy Review, during which WTO members highly commended the country’s trade and economic policies.
In June 2025, Kairat Torebayev was elected Chair of the Trade Policy Review Body, one of the WTO’s three principal bodies.
Under Kazakhstan’s chairmanship, the trade policies of nine WTO members were reviewed in 2025, including the first review of United Kingdom following its withdrawal from the European Union.
Kazakhstan also plays an active role in ongoing WTO reform discussions, advocating for the restoration of a fully functioning two-tier dispute settlement system, including the Appellate Body.