Nurilla Abdushukurov
Regulatory Affairs  ·  Government Relations  ·  Policy Advisory
About

Nurilla Abdushukurov

Public affairs and international development consultant with over eight years of experience advising governments, international organisations, and private sector stakeholders across Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

Who I Am

I am a public affairs and international development consultant with over eight years of experience advising governments, international organisations, and private sector stakeholders across Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

I currently serve as Senior GR Advisor at Aretera Public Affairs, providing strategic counsel to multinational clients navigating the region’s political, regulatory, and business environments.

Prior to this, I was a key member of USAID’s Trade Central Asia Activity, a regional programme supporting Uzbekistan and its neighbours in building trade resilience and deepening economic integration. I coordinated trade facilitation initiatives, facilitated over $40 million in export contracts, and supported Uzbekistan’s WTO accession process.

I have also worked as a local consultant for the OECD, supporting projects focused on competition and antimonopoly reform, environmental and water resilience, sustainable infrastructure investment, and climate mitigation in Uzbekistan.

Earlier in my career, I worked at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, where I was involved in key economic reforms including improving Uzbekistan’s standing in international business rankings, co-organising the first Tashkent International Investment Forum, and supporting the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Uzbekistan.

I combine deep institutional knowledge with hands-on delivery, and work fluently in Uzbek, English, and Russian.

🇺🇿 Uzbek — Native🇬🇧 English — C1🇷🇺 Russian — C1

Career Path

2014–2018
BSc Economics with Finance — First Class Honours
Westminster International University in Tashkent
2018–2022
Investment Climate Expert
Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, Uzbekistan
2022
Senior Officer, Data Analytics & Market Research
Westminster International University in Tashkent
2022–2025
National Connectivity Associate
USAID Trade Central Asia Activity, DAI Global
2022–Present
Local Consultant
OECD (Freelance)
2019–Present
One Young World Ambassador
European Commission Scholarship, London Summit 2019
2025–Present
Senior GR Advisor
Aretera Public Affairs

Expertise

A practitioner-led advisory built on direct experience across government, multilateral organisations, and private sector engagements in Central Asia.

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Government Relations & Public Affairs

Stakeholder mapping, ministerial engagement, regulatory dialogue, and advocacy strategy across Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

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Trade Facilitation & Export Promotion

End-to-end export promotion programmes, B2B matchmaking, international trade fair participation, and market access strategy.

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Investment Policy & FDI

Investment climate reform and FDI attraction, including development of regulatory acts, evidence-based legislative proposals, and coordination with IFIs.

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Trade Policy

Experience spanning both trade policy development and practical implementation, from drafting export policies to supporting legislative alignment with WTO rules.

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Regulatory Compliance & Monitoring

Continuous monitoring of Uzbekistan’s legislative landscape, tracking new laws, presidential decrees, and regulatory acts as they emerge.

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Strategic Communications

Government-facing messaging, crisis preparedness, and stakeholder communication in sensitive political environments.

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Green Economy & Sustainable Development

Green economy policy, sustainable infrastructure, and SDG-aligned analysis across the region.

Mission & Delegation Management

Full-cycle organisation of expert missions, study tours, and high-level delegations including logistics, scheduling, and interpretation.

Publications & Expert Engagements

My Research

Abdushukurov, N. (2019). The impact of currency crises on economic growth and foreign direct investment: The analysis of emerging and developing economies. Russian Journal of Economics, 5(3): 220–250.

Expert Contributions

The following publications were produced by leading international organisations in collaboration with local experts and consultants. I contributed to each as a country expert, providing on-the-ground insight, data, stakeholder access and technical input on Uzbekistan’s investment, regulatory and business environment.

OECD (2020) — Investment Promotion in Eurasia: A Mapping of Investment Promotion Agencies
OECD (2021) — Improving the Legal Environment for Business and Investment in Central Asia
PWC (2021) — Cost of Doing Business in Uzbekistan
OECD (2022) — Boosting the Internationalisation of Firms through Better Export Promotion Policies in Uzbekistan
OECD (2022) — An Introduction to Competition Law and Policy in Uzbekistan
World Bank (2023) — Recommendations for a National FDI Strategy and Roadmap for Uzbekistan
OECD (2023) — Insights on the Business Climate in Uzbekistan
World Bank (2025) — Business Ready (B-READY)
OECD (2025) — Roadmap for Sustainable Investment Policy Reforms in Uzbekistan