LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
PEACE INDEPENDENCE DEMOCRACY UNITY PROSPERITY
National Trade Facilitation Committee
ref.no: 001/NTFC
Vientiane, dated 26 December 2018
Agreement
On the Structure and Role of the Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat
- Pursuant to the Decision on the Establishment of National Trade Facilitation Committee No. 48/PM, dated 26 July 2018.
- Pursuant to the Decision on the Certification and announcement of the Lao PDR’s Roadmap on Trade Facilitation 2017-2022, No. 001/NTFC, dated 25 September 2017.
Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat agreed to the following:
Section I
General Provisions
Article 1 Objective
This agreement is established to identify location, roles, responsibilities, rights, organizational structure and implementation of the Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat as a reference for the implementation on trade facilitation by focusing on simplifying administrative procedures and easing trade barriers to support and promote expansion of trade.
Article 2. Location and roles
The Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat, acronyms is “TFCS” is none an organization body which will be a secretariat for the National Trade Facilitation Committee.
Section II
Rights and scope of responsibilities
Article 3. Roles
Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat has the following roles:
- Reviews and comments on policies, strategies, master plans, laws, legislations, decrees, rules, regulations, bilateral agreements, sub-regional agreements, regional and multilateral agreements related to trade facilitation.
- Being focal point for public organizations and private sectors both central and local level to address trade issues, and implementing trade facilitation measures in a unify manner;
- Study, enhance procedures and (Non-Tariff Measures-NTMs in relation to goods transportation, import-export and goods in transit on compliance with international commitments;
- Collaborates with concerned agencies in preparing and carrying out bilateral, sub-regional, regional and multilateral negotiations of agreements related to Trade Facilitation;
- Supports and promotes the use of modern communication systems to increase the international integration;
- Organizes trainings to upgrade and disseminate information for public and private employees to raise awareness on legislations, information, agreements and treaties in association to Trade Facilitation that Lao PDR is a partner of;
- Coordinates with all concerned agencies to mobilize funding and allocate experts to run activities on trade facilitation;
- Is a focal point to coordinates with international organizations residing in and outside the country with respect to negotiations on compliance with international commitments;
- Summarizes and reports the progress of the Trade Facilitation Secretariat’s work to higher authorities on a regular basis;
- Organize meeting between central and provincial committee 2 times a year to summarize, provide lessons learned and solicit advice from the government to implement trade facilitation;
- Set up the (Trade Facilitation Implementation Unit: TIU) under government agencies in order to assist work and coordinate point for TFCS;
- Other duties assigned by the government or listed in relevant regulations.
Article 4. Scope of responsibilities
The Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat has a scope of responsibilities as follows:
- Guides, manages, monitors and evaluates the implementation of Trade Facilitation and encourages concerned agencies to take part in the gradual improvement of such task;
- Reports to the NTFC to propose the Government regarding the improvement, formulation or the revoking of laws, legislations, decrees, rules and regulations relevant to Trade Facilitation;
- Coordinates and cooperates with concerned agencies, both local and foreign, public and private sectors in order to promote the implementation strategies/trade facilitation roadmap of Lao PDR in time manners;
- Reviews and reports issues and constraints in trade facilitation to line ministries and concerned agencies to address them consistently, expediently, in a manner that is rationalized, simplified, transparent and compliant with the Law of Lao PDR and international treaties that Lao PDR is a partner of;
- Exchanges and lesson learn, attends the workshop, bilateral, sub-regional, regional and multilateral meetings relevant to Trade Facilitation both locally and overseas;
- Promote, disseminate international treaties that Lao PDR is a partner of;
- Provide information, consultation and exchange experiences both public and private sectors on trade facilitation;
- Has the right to use a budget, vehicles, and other required equipment provided for by the Government;
- Other duties assigned by the government or listed in relevant regulations.
Section III
Organizational Structure
Article 5. Organizational structure
The Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat is located at Department of Import and Export. Ministry of Industry and Commerce and will be act at the role secretariat, and composed of the representative of line agencies as a members.
Article 6. Personnel Structure
The Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat has members as follows:
- Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce as Head of the Head of TF Secretariat;
- Director General of Import and Export Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Deputy Head of the Secretariat as Secretariat Office;
- Director of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Director General of Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Director General of Transport Department, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Director General of Agriculture Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Deputy Director General of Livestock and Fishery Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Deputy Director General of Food and Drug Department, Ministry of Health, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
- Deputy Director General of Standard and Methodology Department, Ministry of Science and Technology, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
Members of the Secretariat include:
- Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
- Deputy Director General of Enterprise and Registration Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
- Deputy Director General of Industry and Handicraft Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
- Deputy Director General of Domestic Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
- Deputy Director General of Mine Department, Ministry of Energy and Mine;
- Deputy Director General of Information Technology Department, Ministry of Post and Telecommunication;
- Deputy Director General of Economic Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affair
- Deputy Director General of Treaties and Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affair
- Deputy Director General of Home Affairs, Prime Minister Office
- Deputy Director General of Welfare and Promote Health, Ministry of Pubic health
- Deputy Director General of Technology Digital, Ministry of Science and Technology
- Deputy Director General of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology
- Deputy Director General of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Deputy Director General of Forest Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Deputy Director General of Tax, Ministry of Finance
- Deputy Director General of State Asset Management Department, Ministry of Finance
- Deputy Director General of External Finance and Debt Management Department, Ministry of Finance
- Deputy Director General of Publication Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Deputy Director General of Pollution Control Department , Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
- Deputy Director General of Police Economics, Ministry of Public Security
- Deputy Director General of Traffic Police, Ministry of Public Security
- Deputy Director General of Monetary Policy Department, Bank of Laos
- Secretariat, Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry
For personnel to be included in the Secretariat Office is based on line departments nominate as mentioned on Article 5 and 6 of this Decision.
Section IV
Principles and methods of work
Article 7 principle
- Implement the principle of combining the center of Democracy and grouping agreement on trade facilitation.
- To carry out a single leader, divide to person to have clear responsibility and to expand the creative of the TFCS.
- Any implementation of TFCS is following the government policy, law, regulation and the government’s principle to implement in order to obtain satisfy results.
- To protect the right and benefits of the government, citizen and businesses.
Article 8 Methods of work
- Has the work plan system, planning, detail project, focus on the point for solving problem and vision on the target from time to time;
- To implement work by holding quarterly meeting or in case of necessary it can be opened meeting in order to research, consider, monitor and manage, evaluate the lessons, consider pros and cons results in order to report to NTFC regularly.
- To coordinate with line departments between central and provincial level in order to improve environment favorable business operations in accordance to the regulations.
Article 9 Meeting procedures
The members of Secretariat of Trade Facilitation Committee has been nominated and concerned sector must attend the meeting based on the invitation to raise the issue occur and commend on the issues that bring on the meeting. In case of necessity that cannot attend the meeting shall nominate the replacement. All the audients has the right to commend all the issues that related to their own work or other sectors.
Section IV
Final Provisions
Article 10 Implementation Budget
The Secretariat of Trade Facilitation Committee shall have a specific budget to implement its tasks especially on trade facilitation based on the Road Map on Trade Facilitation of the periodically.
The budgets for implementation of Secretariat of Trade Facilitation Committee are including:
- During 2018-20122 shall be use the Lao PDR Competiveness and Trade Project which supported by World Bank and multi donors trust funds. After the project has completed it shall be use of the government budget set up plan by Secretariat of Trade Facilitation Committee.
- Grant budget from multi donor’s trust funds.
- Other sources.
Article 11 Implementation
The Secretariat of Trade Facilitation Committee and concerned sectors shall acknowledge, disseminate, and implement tasks indicated under this agreement rigorously.
Article 12 Effectiveness
This agreement shall be effective from the date of the signature.
Vice Prime Minister
Head of NTFC
Sonexay SIPHANDONE
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