Lao govt, development partners aim for tangible results in trade
Lao govt, development partners aim for tangible results in trade
The Programme Executive Committee (PEC) yesterday met with government and private representatives from development partners and key implementing agencies to discuss the key achievements of ongoing projects and plans to achieve tangible results in trade development.
The PEC is the main programme steering committee for most trade-related assistance projects in Laos that help the country to utilise the benefits from greater integration in the global trading community.
The fifth PEC meeting, which took place in Vientiane, was chaired by Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ms Khemmani Polsena, and Head of Cooperation of the European Union, Mr Stefan Schleuning.
The meeting will help to boost coordination among development partners on the technical and management level especially in light of the increased demands on government due the higher number of projects and donors, Ms Khemmani said.
The trade and private sector development programme has grown both in depth and breadth. It now covers more sectors, involves more implementing agencies and has more stakeholders than ever before.
Since the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has negotiated more bilateral projects individually, more and improved coordination among development partners on the technical and management level is required, Ms Khemmani added.
The PEC offers a good platform for such exchanges, she said.
“The growing trade and private sector development programme also makes increasing demands on the government in terms of responsibility and accountability, and we expect our programme to achieve tangible results,” she added.
This means all the activities outlined in the work plan need to focus on reaching the objectives of each project.
The work plans are the primary compass for both implementing agencies and development partners to achieve the objectives set out in the respective project appraisal documents, Ms Khemmani said.
The government, with the active participation of the private sector and development partners, must work hard to establish conditions that enable the private sector to take advantage of the commitments made by the government including the most recent WTO accession and the upcoming Asean Economic Community.
Despite the comprehensiveness of the trade and private sector development programme, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce recognises that there are still gaps and additional assistance may be needed to fully implement the sector work programme.
vientiane times
