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:

1. 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.
2. 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;
3. Study, enhance procedures and (Non-Tariff Measures-NTMs in relation to goods transportation, import-export and goods in transit on compliance with international commitments;
4. Collaborates with concerned agencies in preparing and carrying out bilateral, sub-regional, regional and multilateral negotiations of agreements related to Trade Facilitation;
5. Supports and promotes the use of modern communication systems to increase the international integration;
6. 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;
7. Coordinates with all concerned agencies to mobilize funding and allocate experts to run activities on trade facilitation;
8. Is a focal point to coordinates with international organizations residing in and outside the country with respect to negotiations on compliance with international commitments;
9. Summarizes and reports the progress of the Trade Facilitation Secretariat’s work to higher authorities on a regular basis;
10. 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;
11. Set up the (Trade Facilitation Implementation Unit: TIU) under government agencies in order to assist work and coordinate point for TFCS;
12. 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:

1. Guides, manages, monitors and evaluates the implementation of Trade Facilitation and encourages concerned agencies to take part in the gradual improvement of such task;
2. 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;
3. 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;
4. 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;
5. Exchanges and lesson learn, attends the workshop, bilateral, sub-regional, regional and multilateral meetings relevant to Trade Facilitation  both locally and overseas;
6. Promote, disseminate international treaties that Lao PDR is a partner of;
7. Provide information, consultation and exchange experiences both public and private sectors on trade facilitation;
8. Has the right to use a budget, vehicles, and other required equipment provided for by the Government;
9. 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:

1. Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce as Head of the Head of TF Secretariat;
2. Director General of Import and Export Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Deputy Head of the Secretariat as Secretariat Office;
3. Director of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
4. Director General of Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
5. Director General of Transport Department, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
6. Director General of Agriculture Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
7. Deputy Director General of Livestock and Fishery Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
8. Deputy Director General of Food and Drug Department, Ministry of Health, Deputy Head of the Secretariat
9. Deputy Director General of Standard and Methodology Department, Ministry of Science and Technology, Deputy Head of the Secretariat

 

Members of the Secretariat include:

10. Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
11. Deputy Director General of Enterprise and Registration Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
12. Deputy Director General of Industry and Handicraft Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
13. Deputy Director General of Domestic Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce;
14. Deputy Director General of Mine Department, Ministry of Energy and Mine;
15. Deputy Director General of Information Technology Department, Ministry of Post and Telecommunication;
16. Deputy Director General of Economic Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affair
17. Deputy Director General of Treaties and Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affair
18. Deputy Director General of Home Affairs, Prime Minister  Office
19. Deputy Director General of Welfare and Promote Health, Ministry of Pubic health
20. Deputy Director General of Technology Digital, Ministry of Science and Technology
21. Deputy Director General of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology
22. Deputy Director General of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
23. Deputy Director General of Forest Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
24. Deputy Director General of Tax, Ministry of Finance
25. Deputy Director General of State Asset Management Department, Ministry of Finance
26. Deputy Director General of External Finance and Debt  Management Department, Ministry of Finance
27. Deputy Director General of Publication Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
28. Deputy Director General of Pollution Control Department , Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
29. Deputy Director General of Police Economics, Ministry of Public Security
30. Deputy Director General of Traffic Police, Ministry of Public Security
31. Deputy Director General of Monetary Policy Department, Bank of Laos
32. 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

1. Implement the principle of combining the center of Democracy and grouping agreement on trade facilitation.
2. To carry out a single leader, divide to person to have clear responsibility and to expand the creative of the TFCS.
3. Any implementation of TFCS is following the government policy, law, regulation and the government’s principle to implement in order to obtain satisfy results.
4. To protect the right and benefits of the government, citizen and businesses.

Article 8 Methods of work

1. Has the work plan system, planning, detail project, focus on the point for solving problem and vision on the target from time to time;
2. 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.
3. 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