Vientiane, 28 March 2018 – The 12th Trade and Private Sector Working Group Meeting (TPSWG) at Donchan Palace Hotel, Vientiane Capital. The policy dialogue meeting between the Lao government and development partners was chaired by H.E. Mrs. Khemmani Pholsena, Minister, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Leo Faber, Ambassador, European Union, and Enhanced Integrated Framework Donor Facilitator for Lao PDR. Over 90 representatives from line ministries, private sector, and relevant development agencies attended the meeting.
In her opening remarks, H.E. Mrs. Pholsena emphasized the importance of trade and private sector development in the National Social Economic Development Strategy of Lao PDR by stating that the most recent Government meeting spent substantial amount of time discussing government’s efforts to improve investment climate, effectiveness of measures to promote tourism, investment, SMEs, upgrading of the wood processing industry, and others. “These discussions and the recent Prime Minister’s Order No. 02 on improving business regulatory framework clearly highlight the importance of trade and business sector growth to the future development of Lao PDR, in developing a prosperous nation ready and able to engage economically with the rest of the world. With the targets of reducing poverty we will ensure that this growth benefits all the people of Lao PDR, so by 2020 we can truly say that we are no longer a Least Developed Country”.
H.E. Minister closed her remarks by thanking all development partners for the large impact they have already made in the sector and thank all those who have already committed to continue supporting the implementation of Lao PDR’s new Trade and Private Sector Development Program.
In his remarks, H.E. Ambassador Leo highlighted the important role played by the Trade and Private Sector Working Group as platform for discussing policies and measures for promoting export and competitiveness of Lao businesses. H.E. Ambassador also complimented MOIC for including important issues such as logistics cost and Lao PDR’s ranking in ease of Doing Business Report in the meeting agenda.
Ambassador Leo also took this opportunity to inform the meeting that a new EU funded Trade and Private Sector Development Project called Arise Plus Lao PDR is expected to be launched in early 2019.
After remarks by the chair and co-chair, the meeting discussed important issues affecting business operations and investment decision making. The meeting started with presentation on the key findings of Logistics Costs in Lao PDR by JETRO, which was followed by MPI/IPD’s update on the implementation of new Investment Promotion Law and PM Order No. 02 on improving business regulatory framework, and the last presentation on the concept of new Lao Trade and Competitiveness Project was delivered by World Bank Trade Team.
The first presentation focused on one of the key constraints affecting competitiveness of Lao businesses, which is high transportation costs, the second presentation provided an update on Government’s policy and measures to improve business environment, and the last presentation proposed solutions to address some of the issues and challenges discussed in the first two presentations.
In her closing remarks, H.E. Mrs. Pholsena sincerely thanked Mr. Leo Feber for co-chairing the meeting, development partners for their support to trade and private sector development in Lao PDR, and also expressed her appreciation to all representatives from diplomatic delegations, international organizations, government agencies and private sectors who attended the meeting.
The TPSWG is one of ten sector working groups under the Round Table Process and is the main forum for policy dialogue between the government of Lao PDR and development partners. Participants of the forum usually come from government, development partners, the private sector and civil society. Other 9 sector working groups include Health; Education; Governance; Macroeconomics; Infrastructure; Illicit Drug Control; UXO; Agriculture and Rural Development; and Natural Resource and Environmental Management.
For more information please contact:
National Implementation Unit,
Department of Planning and Cooperation
Ministry of Industry and Commerce
Vientiane, Lao PDR
Tel/Fax: 021 413916
