WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/ACC/LAO/46 
19 October 2012 
 (12-5720) 
Working Party on the 
Accession of Lao PDR  
 
 
 
ACCESSION OF LAO PDR 
 
Summary of the Tenth and Final Meeting of the Working Party 
 
 The present document contains the record of the discussion, which took place during the 
Tenth and Final Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Lao PDR held on 28 September 2012.   
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  Subjects discussed                                                                                                                              Page 
 
A.  OPENING STATEMENTS  ............................................................................................................... 2  
B.  ADOPTION OF THE ACCESSION PACKAGE OF THE LAO PEOPLE 'S DEMOCRATIC 
REPUBLIC  .............................................................................................................................. ...... 6 
C.  CONCLUSION  .............................................................................................................................. . 7 
 
 WT/ACC/LAO/46 
Page 2  
 
   
A. O
PENING STATEMENTS  
1. The Chairperson said that, as set-out in Ai rgram WTO/AIR/3995 of 13 September 2012, the 
purpose of the Tenth and Final Meeting of the Wo rking Party on the Accession of Lao PDR was to 
consider the entire draft Accession Package of Lao PDR for adoption, ad referendum,  and 
transmission to the General Council for approval.   
2. For the WTO and for Lao PDR, this was a hi storic moment.  He thanked Working Party 
Members for their direct engagement and contributions.   
3. The high level participation of Members and the presence of the Chairperson of the 
Sub-committee on Least-developed Countries, Ambassador Steffen Smidt (Denmark), reflected the 
importance that Members attached to the Acc ession of Lao PDR as a Least-developed Country 
(LDC).   
4. Minister Nam Viyaketh conveyed sincere appreci ation to the WTO Secretariat, particularly 
the Accessions Division, for the hard work and assi stance in planning, facilitating and preparing for 
this final meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Lao PDR.  
5. He expressed appreciation to the Chairperson, Ambassador Yi (China), for his effective 
leadership.  He also thanked all WTO Members an d development partners fo r their constant support 
and technical assistance. 
6. During the 15-year accession process, Lao PDR am ended and enacted more than 90 laws and 
regulations to ensure compliance with WTO Agre ements, covering various areas such as trading 
rights, import licensing procedures, customs valuati on, investment regime, sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures, technical barriers to trade, and trade-re lated intellectual property rights.  Lao PDR also 
made tremendous efforts in impr oving its investment regime and opening its market for goods and 
services. 
7. Lao PDR, a landlocked LDC, was already a member state of the ASEAN.  With WTO 
membership, Lao PDR could further open its market .  While underlining the importance of existing 
guidelines and benchmarks for LDCs' accession, he noted that Lao PDR's accession process would 
not necessarily fit other acceding LDCs.  He therefore supported a tailor-made approach for each country's accession process, taking into account the individual constraints of each acceding government. 
8. He recalled that the WTO accession process was not an easy process for Lao PDR due to 
various constraints that Lao PDR faced both internally  and internationally, as an LDC.  Therefore, he 
acknowledged the continued support that  Lao PDR had received in the form of financial and technical 
assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors.  Wit hout this assistance, it would have been difficult 
for Lao PDR to implement the relevant reforms to meet WTO standards. 
9. Lao PDR used its accession process as a useful bl ueprint for reforming its trade and economic 
framework, which in turn, also provided the n ecessary basis to:  (i) achieve the Millennium 
Development Goals by 2015; and (ii) graduate from the LDC status by 2020.  
10. Although Lao PDR's accession process was coming to an end, the Delegation of Lao PDR 
was aware that some work still remained, namely:  (i) ensuring that the WTO Accession Package was 
approved by the National Assembly; (ii) sharing th e negotiation results with Lao PDR's private and 
public sector; and (iii) most importantly, ensuring  the full implementation of Lao PDR's undertaken 
accession commitments.  WT/ACC/LAO/46 
 Page 3 
 
 
  11. The Delegation of Lao PDR was looking forward to the signing ceremony with the 
WTO Director-General in October.  Lao PDR was hosting the 9th Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting 
in Vientiane in early November and was planni ng to announce this historical development of 
WTO membership at the Summit.  
12. In total, 17 Members1 and one Observer2 intervened to welcome and convey congratulations 
to the Delegation of Lao PDR.  Members also expressed their appreciation to Ambassador Yi, the 
Chairperson of the Working Party; other Members of  the Working Party; and the WTO Secretariat, in 
particular the Accessions Division, for their cont ribution and support for the convening of the tenth 
and final meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Lao PDR. 
13. Ambassador Sun Suon (Cambodia) delivered a jo int statement, on behalf of the ASEAN.  
The ASEAN commended the Chairperson for his effort s to bring this process to the threshold of 
conclusion.  The ASEAN also expressed appreciation for the work of the WTO Secretariat.  He noted that Lao PDR's draft accession package detailed the high level of market acce ss opening on goods and 
services and Lao PDR's efforts to bring its trade regime and legislative framework into compliance 
with the WTO requirements.  Lao PDR's accessi on was a great contribution to the Multilateral 
Trading System and beneficial to the WTO.  The ASEAN strongly supported the adoption of the draft 
accession package of Lao PDR, ad referendum,  and the transmission to the General Council for 
formal approval. 
14. The ASEAN commended Lao PDR for its great achievement in bringing the accession 
process to this final stage. The Group also commended all bilateral negotiating partners, 
WTO Members, the three Facilitators (Ambassador  Steffen Smidt (Denmark), Mr. Hartmut Röben 
(Germany) and Ambassador Yi (China)), the WTO S ecretariat, donors, and international agencies.  
The ASEAN called on the Membership to continue  providing assistance to Lao PDR to ensure the 
successful implementation of Lao PDR's reform programme and Lao PDR's WTO commitments.   
15. The representative of the Europe Union we lcomed the flexibility demonstrated by 
Working Party Members that enabled Lao PDR to be nefit from transitional periods in a number of 
areas such as:  TBT; SPS; and intellectual property rights.  To assist Lao PDR in its accession process, 
the EU had been particularly active since 2008, as a key contributor to the "Fund for the Development 
of Trade" ("2008-2013 Program").  The Program su pported Lao PDR in various trade areas.  The EU 
was and would remain an important partner for Lao PDR in the "Second Trade Facility Development 
Program" (from 2013 to 2017) to help Lao PDR in its early post-accession phase in the areas of trade facilitation, non-tariff measures in goods and services, and trade assistance. 
16. The President of the European Commission, Mr. Barroso, would attend the 
Ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Vien tiane in early November, and he was looking 
forward to welcoming Lao PDR as a new WTO Member.  In her closing remarks, she noted that three of the five countries that acceded over the last  two years were Least-developed Countries.  
Members should be proud of this record.  It was a sign of the successful integration of LDCs into the 
WTO and the strengthening of the 2002 Guid elines on LDCs' Accessions as well as the 
General Council Decision on LDCs' accession,  which was adopted in July 2012. 
17. Ukraine commended Minister Nam, Vice Minister Khemmani and the excellent negotiating 
team for their professionalism and active involvement in the accession negotiations.  Ukraine and 
Lao PDR looked back at decades of traditionally go od ties, and hoped to further develop their trade 
                                                      
1 Australia; Argentina; Cambodia (on behalf of the AS EAN Group); China; Canada; Central African Republic; 
EU; Haiti (on behalf of the LDC Group); Hong Kong; India; Japan; Nepal; Switzer land; Chinese Taipei; Ukraine; US; and 
Viet Nam. 
2 Yemen.  WT/ACC/LAO/46 
Page 4  
 
  and economic relations on the basis of predicta bility, transparency, and stability following 
Laos' accession to the WTO. 
18. The representative of the United States thanked Lao PDR and the WTO secretariat for 
providing updated documentation for the final Worki ng Party meeting.  The United States joined 
others in approving Lao PDR's draft accession package on an ad referendum  basis, with a view to 
adopting it at a special session of the General C ouncil in October.  Lao PDR's terms of accession 
demonstrated dedication to economic and trade refo rm as well as to WTO provisions.  She believed 
that the trade regime, based on rules and princi ples that encourage trade and investment, would 
benefit Lao PDR and its citizens.   
19. Like with all other acceding LDCs, the United Stat es had ensured a consistent approach with 
the 2002 Guidelines on LDCs' Accessions.  In line with these Guidelines, the United States had 
established the "Lunar Project", a US technical assistance programme which included a resident advisor in Vientiane.  The United States was deep ly committed to the notion that the adoption of 
WTO provisions could build strong economic instituti ons that have a long-term positive impact on 
trade, economic growth and domestic developmen t for Least-developed Countries.  The accession 
process was a tool through which LDCs like Lao PDR could carefully consider the way in which trade 
could advance the prosperity of its citizens.  The US looked forward to Lao PDR sharing its own 
experience with other acceding governments.  Fina lly, she also commended the Delegation of 
Lao PDR for the hard work during the negotiations  and the skills and flexibility with which it had 
crafted the final accession package.  The United States looked forward to working with Lao PDR 
when it became a WTO Member.  
20. Haiti, on behalf of the LDC Group, said it was a great day for Lao PDR as well as for the 
WTO.  He reiterated the importance of getting mo re developing and Least-developed Countries into 
the Organization.  In this spirit, he hoped that all WTO Members would continue to assist LDCs waiting in the queue of joining the WTO, in lin e with the Decision of the General Council on 
LDCs' Accessions adopted in July of this year. 
21. Hong Kong, China said that Lao PDR was the only ASEAN member state still outside the 
WTO.  As the trade links with the South-East Asia n region remained one of the pillars of external 
trade for Hong Kong, China, he warmly welcomed  the Accession of Lao PDR and hence Laos' more 
active participation in international and regional trade.  He commended the efforts of Lao PDR in 
recent years to turn its trading regime into a ru le-based trading regime, a nd to open up and introduce 
competition in a number of important sectors.  While agriculture still took up the major share of 
Lao PDR's economy, he noted that the services sector was fast growing, accounting for a quarter of all 
trade and around 37 per cent of Lao PDR's GDP.  He commended the substantial commitments 
undertaken in services by Lao PDR, as contained in its Schedule, and believed that this would help 
strengthen Lao PDR's services infrastructure, which will in turn sustain gr owth and development. 
22. The Accession of Lao PDR, an LDC, was encour aging for the WTO.  The inclusion of LDCs 
in the WTO family was an important aim of th is Organization and woul d allow LDC economies to 
integrate into the world trading system.  He hope d that the additional guidelines approved in July, 
aiming to strengthen, streamline and operationalize LD Cs' accession, would facilitate other LDCs to 
join quickly.  Hong Kong, China looked forward to  the formal decision of the General Council for 
Lao PDR to become a full WTO Member soon.   
23. The representative of India joined others in  welcoming and commending the Delegation of 
Lao PDR.  India was confident that Lao PDR's ac cession would bring benefits to both Lao PDR and 
its trading partners.  It was a long and arduous j ourney involving extensive work by Lao PDR and its 
Delegation.  As an acceding LDC,  Lao PDR had to:  overcome seve ral challenges; make tremendous 
adjustments and changes in its legislative and re gulatory framework; update its foreign trade regime;  WT/ACC/LAO/46 
 Page 5 
 
 
  and create the requisite infrastructure for impl ementing its WTO obligations.  India applauded 
Lao PDR for its commitment to the Multilateral Tradi ng System and the sincerity of its efforts to 
engage in the process in full earnest.  This deserve d special appreciation.  India also commended the 
Chairperson of the Working Party for his leadersh ip in steering the accession process to its successful 
conclusion, and thanked the Secretariat for its vital support.  
24. Given India's deep rooted bilateral ties w ith Lao PDR, India consistently supported 
Lao PDR's accession to the WTO and extended fu ll cooperation towards this goal.  India was 
confident that Lao PDR's integration into the Multil ateral Trading System would bring benefits to 
both Lao PDR and its trading partners, and help  addressing some of the development challenges 
outlined by Minister Nam.  
25. Given the fact that there were still some LDCs waiting in queue to accede to the WTO, 
India hoped that Members would demonstrate due  flexibility to allow al so these acceding LDCs 
speedy entries into the WTO th ereby helping make the Organization truly universal and 
representative.  India was happy that the collectiv e Membership was able to meet the target of 
completing Lao PDR's accession this year.  Indi a supported the adoption of the draft Accession 
Package, ad referendum , and looked forward to welcoming Lao PDR as a full Member to the WTO. 
26. Like others, the representative of China expressed appreciation of Lao PDR's and the 
WTO Secretariat's outstanding work.  The accession was a long and challenging process.  It was 
indeed, as Minister Nam stated, a historic moment for Lao PDR, and China hoped that the Delegation 
of Lao PDR and WTO Members were fully enjoying this moment.  China believed that the WTO accession would be an important booster for La o's economic and social development, as it had 
been the case for China a decade ago.  With the improved trade and economic system, more 
investment, more trade opportunities would come to Laos, and China looked forward to witness 
Lao PDR's economic development in the coming decade.
  
27. The successful conclusion of Lao PDR's accession to the WTO was a significant achievement 
for this Organization this year.  It would build c onfidence that this Organization could still deliver to 
the most needed, and that there was still much trust and confidence in the Multilateral Trading 
System.  In this spirit, China hoped that the other accession priorities would also be concluded very soon. 
28. China was proud that it could contribute to this  very important process for China's neighbour 
Lao PDR.  He added that China was actively en gaged in providing technical assistance through 
bilateral programmes as well as through China's LDCs and Accessions Programme 
("The China Programme") here at the WTO.  In add ition, China also contributed its greatest asset here 
in Geneva, Ambassador YI, as Chairperson of th e Working Party.  China remained committed to 
continue to provide assistance to Laos to assist Lao PDR in implementing its WTO commitments, and 
in the process of Lao PDR's integration into the global economy. 
29. The representative of Australia recognized that the reforms had been and continued to be 
complicated and arduous for Lao PDR, and appropriate  flexibilities were required.  Therefore, they 
were happy to support Lao PDR's requests for tr ansitional arrangements to achieve the full 
implementation of its WTO obligations, in line with the recently adopted Decision on 
LDCs' Accession. 
30. Australia was unequivocally suppor tive of Lao PDR's accession to the WTO, since the very 
outset of Laos' accession bid, including as Chairperson of this Working Party for many years.  
Australia was pleased to see Laos at the thres hold of joining the WTO as one of the priority 
accessions of 2012, and was ready to assist Lao PDR in concluding the accession process. WT/ACC/LAO/46 
Page 6  
 
  31. As an original LDC Member, the representativ e of the Central African Republic welcomed 
the efforts made by Lao PDR on its long and difficu lt path of accession.  It was never easy for a 
Least-developed Country to negotiate its entry te rms.  She hoped that Members would provide more 
flexibility and accelerate the accession process of more LDCs. 
32. The representative of Yemen made a statement as an Observer.  He commended the 
accomplishment of Lao PDR and extended apprecia tion to the three Facilitators, namely, the 
Chairperson of the Working Party, Ambassador Y i; the Chairperson of the Sub-committee on LDCs, 
Ambassador Smidt; and the Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Yemen, Mr. Röben, for their facilitation efforts for Lao PDR and Yemen.  He called on Members to provide 
flexibilities in Yemen's accession negotiations as they had done for the accession of Lao PDR.  
Yemen hoped to conclude its accession this year as another accession priority.   
B. A
DOPTION OF THE ACCESSION PACKAGE OF THE LAO PEOPLE 'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC  
33. The Chairperson suggested that the Working Part y considered each of the items of the draft 
Accession Package of Lao PDR for adoption, ad referendum :  (i) the Draft Report of the Working 
Party on the Accession of Lao PDR to the World Trade Organization; (ii) the draft Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitments on Goods; (iii) the draft Schedule of Specific Commitments on Trade 
in Services and the draft List of Article II (M FN) Exemptions; (iv) the draft Decision on the 
Accession of Lao PDR; and (v) the draft Protocol on the Accession. 
34. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopted, ad referendum,  the Draft Report 
of the Working Party (WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/5/Rev.2) , together with additional technical edits 
contained in the corrigendum (WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/5/Rev.2/Corr.1). 
35. The Working Party so agreed. 
36. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopted, ad referendum,  the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitments on Goods (WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/7). 
37. The Working Party so agreed. 
38. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopted, ad referendum,  the Draft 
Schedule of Specific Commitments on Trade in Services and Draft List of Article II (MFN) 
Exemptions (WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/6), together with  additional technical edits contained in the 
corrigendum (WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/6/Corr.1). 
39. The Working Party so agreed. 
40. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopted, ad referendum,  the Draft Decision 
on the Accession of the Lao PDR (Appendix of document WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/5/Rev.2, on 
page 124 of the English version). 
41. The Working Party so agreed. 
42. The Chairperson proposed that  the Working Party adopted, ad referendum,  the Draft Protocol 
on the Accession of the Lao PDR (Appendix of document WT/ACC/SPEC/LAO/5/Rev.2, on 
pages 125-127 of the English version). 
43. The Working Party so agreed.  WT/ACC/LAO/46 
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  C. CONCLUSION  
44. The Chairperson concluded that the Working Party had adopted, ad referendum,  the 
Accession Package of Lao PDR.  Therefore, the Work ing Party had successfully fulfilled its mandate.   
45. Following standing practice, the WTO Secretariat would make the necessary technical 
updates to the Accession Package, adopted, ad referendum .  The Accession Package of Lao PDR 
would be re-issued and circulated in the WT/ACC series for transmission to the General Council.   
46. Based on consultations of the Chairwoman of the General Council with WTO Members, a 
consensus for a special session of  the General Council emerged for Friday, 26 October 2012.  At this 
special session, the General Council would cons ider for formal adoption the Report of the 
Working Party on the Accession of Lao PDR.  In  accordance with the rules and procedures for 
WTO meetings, a formal Convening Notice would be issued by the Director-General. 
47. The Chairperson of the Working Party paid hom age to the entire team of Lao PDR, led by 
H.E. Dr. Nam VIYAKETH, Minister of Industry and Commerce, and H.E. Ms. Khemmani PHOLSENA, Chief Negotiator of Lao PDR, for th eir strong commitment to pursuing Lao PDR's 
accession and enacting WTO-consistent legislation,  particularly during the last few months.  
The Chairperson also thanked Working Party Memb ers for their direct engagement and good will, 
which enabled the successful conclu sion of the accession process.  The Accession of Lao PDR to the 
WTO was a strong, positive and clear signal about its commitment to integrate into the framework of 
the rules-based Multilateral Trading System.   
48. For the WTO, the Accession of Lao PDR meant a warm welcome for another 
Least-developed Country into the Multilateral Tradi ng System.  This had systemic benefits, such as 
improved market access in goods and services for the whole Membership and strengthening the 
universality of the WTO. 
49. He acknowledged the significant contributions and strong leadership made by the preceding 
Chairpersons of the Working Party on the Acce ssion of Lao PDR, namely, Ambassador Geoff Raby 
(Australia); Ambassador Tim Groser (New Zealand); Ambassador Bruce Gosper (Australia); and, 
Mr. Zhang Xiangchen (China).  He also paid tri bute and expressed his deep appreciation for the hard 
work undertaken by the WTO Secretariat, in  particular the Accessions Division.   
50. The Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Least -developed Countries, Ambassador Smidt, 
also joined the Working Party in congratulating Minister Nam, Vice-Minister Khemmani and the 
entire Delegation of Lao PDR for their accomplishm ent.  The Accession of Lao PDR was a testimony 
of the 2002 Guidelines on LDCs' Accessions and th e new Guidelines adopted in July 2012 could 
provide a speedier process for acceding LDCs.  He congratulated the Chairperson of the 
Working Party on the leadership and guidance in this accession process and commended the support 
provided by the WTO Secretariat.  He noted that on this day, the Membership should congratulate 
itself for having integrated a further LDC into th is Member-driven Organization - living up to the 
name of the Organization, the WORLD  Trade Organization.  
51. In his concluding remarks, Minister Nam noted that this final meeting of the Working Party 
marked a milestone for Lao PDR's accession to the WTO.  He expressed his sincere appreciation for 
the very constructive and fruitful co-operation in  bringing the Accession of Lao PDR to a successful 
completion.  Lao PDR was convinced that joining the WTO was not an end in itself, but the beginning of integrating Lao PDR's economy into  the Multilateral Trading System.  
 WT/ACC/LAO/46 
Page 8  
 
  52. He expressed particular appreciation to the Chai rperson of the Working Party and the Director 
of the Accession Division and his team, for the time and efforts dedicated to Lao PDR's accession process.  He also thanked Working Party Members, ASEAN and LDC colleagues as well as development partners for their c ontinued support and technical assist ance, in particular regarding 
capacity-building throughout Lao PDR's WTO accession process.  These technical assistance 
programmes facilitated the results the Working Party witnessed at this final meeting.  Without the 
assistance, it would have taken Lao PDR much longer to reach this stage.  As an LDC, Lao PDR 
would continue to rely on this t ype of support to ensure an active role in the WTO, and to make its 
path into the Multilateral Trading System, a ro ad to development and poverty reduction.  
53. Lao PDR was looking forward to the special session of the General Council envisaged for 
26 October, at which Members would take formal decision to accept Lao PDR as a WTO Member.  
It was anticipated that the National Assembly of Lao PDR would ratify the WTO accession package 
in December this year, which would enable Lao PDR to become a full WTO Member early next year. 
54. The Working Party took note of the stat ements made and c oncluded its mandate. 
 
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