Purpose

This Workshop is being organized under the regional technical assistance (RETA 6307) funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The Workshop will bring together recent analytical work in the area of trade and trade facilitation, relating to trade patterns in the GMS, analysis of the CTS in the GMS, the results from firm level survey on trade facilitation related constraints to exporting from Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and the findings from the recent assessments of time-cost-distance along the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC).

Objectives

• Present to the member countries of the GMS recent analytical work on trade and trade facilitation in GMS
• Invite feedback to validate and strengthen the output of the analytical work
• Identify specific actions and recommendations for policy.

Expected outputs

• Agreed set of recommendations on collaborative actions and policies needed to resolve priority issues and address gaps in implementing the TTF Action Plan;
• Country feedback and validation on various components for joint ADB—AusAID publication, “Trade and Trade Facilitation in GMS,” under RETA-6307.

Target participants

Participants in the Workshop will consist of the

• GMS National Coordinators (NC);
• Senior Officials from the GMS countries from customs, transport, and other border-related agencies;
• Representatives from national transport associations;
• the GMS Business Forum;
• Heads of business association at the national or provincial level;
• other stakeholders from the private sector and development partners.

Background documents

1. Workshop Concept Note
2. Transport and Trade Facilitation in the GMS: Issues and Proposed Program of Actions
3. Promoting Transit and Interstate Transport Along the GMS East-West Economic Corridor
4. Promoting Transport and Trade Facilitation CBTA in Operation along the East-West Corridor— Brochure
5. Greater Mekong Subregion Customs Transit System (CTS)— Brochure
6. Implementation Status of the Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement
7. Stocktaking of Progress in Achieving the Action Plan of the Second Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Transport Agreement Joint Committee
8. Updates on East-West Economic Corridor and Lao-Dansavahn Border Crossing