Theme: Improving Revenue Collection Through a Better Understanding of Illicit Financial Flows in Natural Resource Trade in Laos

Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) have emerged as a significant area of interest, particularly in relation to trade mispricing and abusive transfer pricing in resource-rich developing countries. Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under the Research for Development (r4d) program, the Macroeconomic Research Institute (MRI) of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES) has conducted research on this topic in the case of Laos from 2017 to 2023 with the aim of improving natural resource governance to finance the SDGs.

On October 13, 2023, the MRI organized a dissemination workshop at the National University of Laos. The event welcomed over 80 participants from various sectors, including line ministries, academia, researchers, and students. The primary objective of this workshop was to disseminate research findings and encourage discussions on how to improve domestic revenue collection in Laos through a better understanding and prevention of illicit financial flows associated with the trade in natural resources.

The program included presentations on:

1) Commodity Trade Mispricing: Evidence from Lao PDR; 2) Illicit Financial Flows in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Extractive and Agricultural Commodities in Laos; 3) Lao PDR Faces Challenges in Introducing a Transfer Pricing Regime and Lessons from ASEAN Member States; 4) Policy brief: Implications for the Lao Government.

The workshop garnered attention in Laos media.