With the sponsorship of the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund, a WCO National Workshop on Customs Laboratory and HS Classification was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 21 to 25 May 2018.

At the opening of the Workshop, Mr. Nuon Chanrith, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE), highlighted the important role of Customs laboratories in ensuring the correct application of the Harmonized System (HS) classification, which would lead to precise mobilization of revenue and law compliance.  He emphasised that the GDCE has committed to transforming itself into a modernized and advanced Customs Administration that will be recognised nationally and internationally for its effectiveness in revenue collection, trade facilitation and protection of society.  The GDCE will also be recognized for its contribution to the improvement of the investment climate within Cambodia, as well as its national competitiveness and the inclusiveness of economic growth.  He thanked the WCO Secretariat and the Japan Customs Administration for facilitating the high-level discussions on the implementation of the Customs Laboratory in Cambodia, which will be included in its Strategic Plan for 2019 – 2023 as it would significantly contribute to the modernization of the GDCE.

During the Workshop, a wide range of topics relating to the establishment and use of Customs Laboratories for HS classification, as well as for enforcement purposes, including the identification of drugs, were addressed.  Participants were also informed about the infrastructure and design of different sizes of Customs Laboratories in Japan, including so-called satellite Laboratories located in the main airports.  Moreover, participants discussed their analysis needs and relevant areas of analytical methodology and considered possible action plans for the establishment of two well-designed Customs Laboratories of different sizes in Cambodia.  The action plans were compiled, together with other outcomes, as a recommendation and submitted to the GDCE at the closing of the Workshop.