Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — At the Ninth United Nations Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection, held in Geneva (Switzerland) under the auspices of UNCTAD, the Chairman of Uzbekistan’s Competition Development Committee, Khalilillo Turakhodjaev, delivered a keynote speech during the session titled “Ensuring Competition in Digital Markets.”

In his remarks, Turakhodjaev presented to the international community the results of the structural reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He placed special emphasis on developments in the digital economy and the modernization of antitrust legislation in alignment with international standards. He noted that Uzbekistan has become one of the first countries in Central Asia and the CIS to introduce legal mechanisms regulating digital platforms, taking into account their specific characteristics.

The Chairman’s address also touched on a number of global challenges facing the international antitrust community, including:

– the growing market power of global digital platforms and the risks of abuse associated with it;

– increasing economic concentration in the digital technology sector, which hampers fair competition;

– the widespread practice of large companies acquiring innovative startups — so-called “killer acquisitions” — often leading to their closure (191 digital platforms have been acquired over the past five years, of which 67% were subsequently shut down);

– double standards in the enforcement of antitrust regulations, whereby digital giants comply with laws in developed countries while frequently evading regulations and pressuring authorities in the Global South;

– monopolization of the artificial intelligence market by the world’s largest corporations;

– the weak bargaining position of developing countries in the face of tech giants, compounded by a lack of coordinated international response.

In this context, Uzbekistan proposed launching a Global Initiative for Ensuring Fair Competition in the Digital Economy, which includes:

– the development of unified international legal standards for regulating digital platforms, with equal participation of Global South countries alongside developed nations;

– joint analysis of cross-border merger and acquisition agreements involving digital platforms to identify signs of anti-competitive behavior;

– continuation of the UNCTAD working group’s efforts on cross-border cartel investigations;

– expanded cooperation among Global South countries in the areas of antitrust oversight, consumer protection, and data governance;

– implementation of technical assistance programs aimed at strengthening the capacity of antitrust bodies in regulating digital platforms, algorithmic solutions, and AI.

Uzbekistan’s proposals were well received by the conference participants and made a meaningful contribution to shaping the global agenda for promoting competition in the digital age.