USAID LUNA II Lao PDR–U.S. International and ASEAN Integration Project Quarterly Progress Report October – December 2015

International and ASEAN Integration Project, also known as LUNA II, is a technical assistance project implemented by Nathan Associates, Inc. for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA). The project's mandate runs from March 2014 to September 2018, with the primary objective of providing support to Lao PDR's government and people in complying with and benefiting from international trade arrangements. The project's activities are guided by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between USAID and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), which establishes the basis for the project's two components. The first component focuses on trade liberalization, which involves compliance with commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and the U.S. – Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). The second component emphasizes building capacity of both government officials and the private sector to implement and benefit from these trade arrangements. During the reporting period, the project provided substantial support to counterparts working on issues related to intellectual property rights (IPR) and standardization. The project assisted the Supreme People's Court (SPC) in developing guidelines for handling IPR matters, organized a workshop with the SPC, and supported the development of guidelines on IPR procedures, copyrights, patents, and plant variety protection. The project also provided assistance on the ability of the Lao government to establish detailed and highly technical standards and regulations pertaining to products imported into Lao PDR. Working closely with the Department of Standardization and Metrology (DSM), the project's standards expert advised and assisted his counterparts on upgrading the country's ISO membership, developing a work plan for the WTO, and drafting technical regulations governing electricity meters. In addition to WTO-related commitments, Lao PDR has a full agenda on AEC-related matters. The project assisted the Department of Information Technology (DIT) in advancing awareness and regulation of e-commerce, governed under the E-Transactions Law. The project's e-commerce expert advised and assisted the DIT on its draft Digital Signature Regulations, ministerial instructions, and the draft Law on Data Protection. The project also supported the DIT on several efforts to raise awareness of the benefits that the E-Transactions Law can bring, holding sessions for both government officials (e-governance) and the private sector (e-commerce). The final aspect of AEC-related activity involves ASEAN's efforts to establish a regional trade bloc with some of its larger trading partners, with negotiations progressing on schedules for tariff reductions. The project's progress during the reporting period is significant, with several accomplishments that are crucial to reducing the friction that government regulation can impose on the trade of goods across borders. The project's assistance to the DSM is bearing fruit in several areas, including the TBT Enquiry Point and the Lao National Accreditation Bureau, which are now up and running. The project also continued assisting the Electronic Official Gazette, both in enhancing its operations and encouraging government agencies to post regulations thereon. Overall, the LUNA II project is making significant progress in supporting Lao PDR's efforts to comply with and benefit from international trade arrangements. The project's activities are guided by a clear mandate and are focused on building the capacity of both government officials and the private sector to implement and benefit from these trade arrangements.