“The Collaboration Meeting with the Public and Private Sector to Implement WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement” was organized on 8th December 2016 at Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane Capital by Department of Import and Export an office of Trade Facilitation Secretariat (TFS), under the support of the Second Trade Development Facility (TDF2). The meeting was chaired by Mr. Khemdeth Sihavong, Deputy Director General of Department of Import and Export, Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The meeting was participated by 35 private sectors.
The objective of this meeting is to consult with private sector on the preparation to extend the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) that the TFS has create an action plan for the agreement. It reviewed Category B Measures that need time to revise regulations and readiness to implement the agreement, and Category C: measures that need time and assistant from international organizations.
Mr. Khemdeth Sihavong stated that: “This meeting is the first consultative meeting with private sector on the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement that opens for discussion with Lao private sector in order to deepen their understanding on the agreement and extend it in practice”.
The meeting included: (1) The presentation on TFA and implementation measures; (2) The presentation on the role of collaboration of private sector on the implementation of TFA; (3) The discussion on Category A, B, and C of TFA with private sector. At the meeting, the private sector mentioned that the advance ruling shall be broadly disseminated and E-payment has only been partially implemented. Therefore, the government shall increase the dissemination of advance ruling and the use of E-payment so that it would help private sector to save time and cost for operating business.
For the meeting with public sector will be held on 14th December 2016.
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