As part of an ongoing effort to prepare Cambodia for a smooth and beneficial transition from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is organizing a Validation Workshop on “Designing a New Trade Policy for Cambodia During and After LDC Graduation: A Path of Challenges and Opportunities.”
This full-day workshop will bring together senior government officials, representatives of international organisations, development partners, private sector stakeholders, and academic experts to examine the findings and recommendations of a comprehensive LDC Graduation Study jointly undertaken by ADB and UNCTAD. The study provides an in-depth assessment of Cambodia’s trade position, identifies potential challenges arising from the phasing out of LDC-specific preferences, and outlines strategic policy options to sustain and expand market access in the post-LDC era.
Sessions will address a wide range of priority issues, including Cambodia’s strategies at the WTO, expanding market access through free trade agreements (FTAs) and rules of origin (RoO), addressing non-tariff measures such as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and technical barriers to trade (TBT), promoting trade facilitation and trade-supporting services, harnessing digital trade and e-commerce, and strengthening interministerial coordination.
Participants will engage in interactive discussions and high-level panels designed to translate analytical findings into actionable policy measures, ensuring whole-of-government coordination and strong public-private dialogue.
This workshop marks an important milestone in aligning Cambodia’s trade policies with its long-term development vision, contributing to the goal of achieving upper middle-income status by 2030 and advancing toward Cambodia Vision 2050.
