In cooperation with the Lao Customs Department and the Japan Customs Cooperation Fund, the WCO conducted a Workshop on Rules of Origin in Vientiane, Lao PDR, from 4 to 7 December 2018.

The Director of legislative division responsible for origin policy, Mr. Sirivanh Phankhampiew, opened the workshop and highlighted the important role of Customs in ensuring the correct application of rules of origin. He indicated that the Administration is lacking resource persons in the origin area and this workshop would significantly contribute to enhancing its knowledge about rules of origin, mentioning that Lao PDR is a party to seven Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and has been a member of the WTO since 2013.

During the Workshop, the WCO facilitators presented various technical and practical issues for proper origin determination, including the Guidelines on Origin Certification, Preferential Origin Verification and Advance Rulings, which have been designed to assist WCO Members in smoothly running origin related procedures under the WCO’s Revenue Package Action Plan. Participants were also informed about the infrastructure necessary for efficient origin management and provision of effective training and private sector outreach. Participants discussed problems, such as the low level of knowledge, lack of experts and internal operating procedures for origin administration. The feedback from participants were shared as recommendations to their management for further action on origin.

The Deputy Director General of Lao Customs Department, Mr. Somphit Sengmanyvong, closed the workshop and emphasised that rules of origin, together with classification and valuation, is an important pillar for collecting fair customs revenue on imported goods.