Asean Completes Training On Rules Of Origin

BANGKOK, May 30 (Bernama) -- The in-country training hosted by the Customs Department of Thailand in Bangkok from May 27-29 completes a series of capacity building activities on Rules of Origin (ROO) for ASEAN, with the focus on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). The activities include development of training modules, translation of training modules into the national languages of ASEAN member states, training of trainers at the regional level and national level trainings in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The activities contribute to enhancing the capacity of ASEAN officials on the ROO to facilitate implementation of their FTA commitments, according to ASEAN News. The in-country training particularly benefits front-line actors and private sector entities, including traders, chambers of commerce and intermediaries involved in ROO certification and clearances to encourage full use of tariff preferences. About 50 officials from ASEAN member states participated in the regional training and the certified ROO trainers then delivered the training at the national level. The AANZFTA ROO Modules includes a comprehensive guide to the ROO from general concept to operational procedures. The training modules, which are available in the Indonesian, Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese languages, guide the step-by-step implementation of national training. Around 400 officials and public-private stakeholders have now been trained in ASEAN. Since 2013, the series of technical assistance and trainings on AANZFTA ROO for ASEAN member states have been supported under the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA Economic Cooperation Support Program (AECSP). -- BERNAMA