At the request of the Director-General of Lao Customs Department (LCD) the WCO conducted a diagnostic support mission in Vientiane, Laos, from 4 to 13 July 2022.

The mission focused on LCD’s overall reform and modernization agenda, and  particularly its ability to effectively contribute to the implementation of the Articles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

This activity was conducted under the framework of the WCO Mercator Programme and included discussions with the relevant Divisions within LCD along with stakeholders from both the public sector and the business community.    

Through active engagement with LCD senior officials, the WCO team was able to make a comprehensive assessment of the situation within the Customs administration, with regard to TFA implementation, highlighting areas where good progress had already been achieved and also identifying areas where further capacity building and technical assistance support may be required.

In collaboration with LCD, the WCO developed a Multi-Year (MY) Mercator Implementation Plan (IP) containing activities and performance indicators that will now form the basis for future actions to support effective implementation of the Articles of the TFA. The IP will also facilitate enhanced engagement with government partner agencies and private sector stakeholders involved in trade facilitation reforms.

The WCO team also took the opportunity to conduct a Mercator Maturity Model assessment that provides an important baseline against which future TFA implementation progress or maturity, from  a Customs perspective, can be effectively measured and reported.  

For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.