Day: June 25, 2021

UNFPA Country Representative Laos Ms. Mariam A. Khan paid a courtesy visit to Thoummaly Vongphachanh to congratulate her on her recent appointment as the Chair of the Cultural and Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly (NA), and discuss further collaboration between UNFPA and NA in line with the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), the International Conference on the Population and Development (ICPD) commitments, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Ms. Vongphachanh warmly welcomed Ms. Khan, expressing her gratitude for the ongoing and collaborative relationship between UNFPA and NA, and acknowledged UNFPA’s support to the NA and the Lao government. “UNFPA has been tremendous in supporting and contributing to the overall development of the country, and specifically the priorities of the NA,” said Ms. Vongphachan.

Priorities of the Cultural and Social Affairs Committee (CSAC) over the next 5 years include: developing, reviewing and reforming laws and regulations relating to social and cultural affairs; consensus on important issues of the Lao PDR; monitoring the implementation of the law, regulations and policy framework regarding social and cultural affairs; strengthening the capacity of CSAC members and improving cooperation with international organisations and strengthening ties with regional and global parliamentarians.

Ms. Khan identified a number of areas of alignment between UNFPA’s work and NA’s and Cultural and Social Affairs Committee priorities. This included i) population data and analysis, particularly the 2025 Census ii) sustainable development and investment in people, especially women and girls, and iii) monitoring the development progress of sector plans and 9th NSEDP through the NA indicators.

She said that “UNFPA invests in data to measure progress, including using the same indicators monitored by the NA. The population data and analysis inform planning and strategy development in health, education and gender and prevention of gender-based violence, identifying who is being left behind. Too often it is adolescents and youth, women and girls, who require additional investments for protection and empowerment.”

Ms. Khan elaborated on the need to invest in adolescent and youth development. “Almost half of the population of Laos is young people under 25 years of age. Thus, the Noi Framework was developed based on the data, and provincial governors have integrated the Noi Framework into provincial plans, along with the ICPD25 national commitments, to ensure adolescent and youth development in health and well-being, education, and employment by 2030.”

The meeting concluded with the parties agreeing to collaborate on the NA role for monitoring indicators related to the 9th NSEDP, particularly on education, health, labor and social affairs, women’s empowerment and gender-based violence.

The collaboration will be part of the UNFPA 7th Country Programme (2022-2026), which will support the Government of Laos to accelerate the implementation of the ICPD25 and achievement of SDGs by 2030.

Source: Lao News Agency

Australia, Germany, and Switzerland on Jun 24 committed nearly USD13 million in funding to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to assist Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam to respond to pressing challenges while safeguarding the ecological function of the Mekong River and improving people’s livelihoods.

The contribution follows a recent wave of Development Partners funding to the MRC, as the Commission begins implementing its Strategic Plan 2021–2025 under a new direction to overcome the multiple threats that the basin faces.

“This support is timely and crucial to the MRC in implementing activities that balance the demands of economic development, social improvement, and protection of the environment,” MRC Secretariat CEO An Pich Hatda said on the sidelines of a signing ceremony during the Informal Development Partners Meeting in Vientiane on Thursday.

Under the new Strategic Plan, the MRC will ensure that new national power generation plans consider the full range of viable generation sources, including water-food-energy as well as the complementary use of wind and solar energy. It will promote gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in the water sector.

The MRC will also explore how the operations of water infrastructures throughout the basin should be coordinated to maximise their benefits and limit adverse environmental impacts on the Mekong mainstream and people.

It will continue to foster regional dialogue among the basin countries, and deepen its engagement with China as well as all of other partners throughout ASEAN and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, for the benefit of all Mekong constituents.

The new funding commitment from Australia, worth AUD5.1 million (approx. USD3.8 million), was signed by the Australian Ambassador to the Lao PDR Paul Kelly, and Hatda.

The support will span five years from 2021 to 2025, and forms part of the new Mekong Australia Partnership.

“We hope the grant of these funds will assist the MRC and its Member Countries to enable inclusive and sustainable use of water and related resources of the Mekong, as a contribution to economic recovery from the pandemic, building environmental resilience, and strengthening regional cooperation,” Ambassador Kelly said.

Australia is also providing additional technical support to the MRC on other key areas, including on the MRC Flood and Drought Management Centre, and the reinvigoration of the MRC data and information systems, the ambassador added.

Meanwhile, the German Ambassador to the Lao PDR Jens Lütkenherm pledged a German contribution of EUR3 million (approx. USD3.55 million) in support of the new plan.

He said the funding would be dispersed over three years beginning in 2022, with USD1.2 million allocated to the MRC’s core funding mechanism, and the balance allotted to the MRC–GIZ Cooperation Programme for technical support.

“We believe this funding will help the MRC establish the core river monitoring network in the Mekong region, thus contributing to informing decisions over the development and management of water resources and to boosting the MRC’s ability to manage flood and drought risks more effectively,” Ambassador Lütkenherm said.

Mr Jean-François Cuénod, Regional Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, committed USD5.3 million to support the implementation of the new Strategic Plan over the next five years.

“We congratulate the MRC on launching the new visionary strategies that are critical to the Mekong River Basin,” Mr Cuénod said. “We look forward to working with the MRC, its Member Countries, and other Development Partners in shifting the region towards a more sustainable and resilient path, making sure that no one will be left behind.”

Switzerland has been supporting the MRC since 1995 and believes the MRC plays an important role in the Mekong region water cooperation, Mr Cuénod added.

The MRC Strategic Plan 2021–2025 is a key tool for the Commission to implement a new ten-year Basin Development Strategy, one that presents a new paradigm shift for the basin. Together, they enable Mekong countries to address current and emerging challenges while improving the overall state of the basin in the coming decade.

Source: Lao News Agency

Over 1.34 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with China-made Sinopharm sharing 90% of Covid-19 vaccines vaccinated.

The vaccinated include 853,782 people given a first dose and 494,477 people receiving a second dose.

The Chinese government has provided up to 1.9 million doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to the Lao PDR.

The World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization announced last month it had thoroughly assessed the data on quality, safety and efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine and had recommended its use for people aged 18 and above.

The government is doing its utmost to have 50 per cent of population in the country injected with Covid-19 vaccines, according to a health official.

“Some 3.7 million people across the country are expected to be vaccinated against Covid-19 this year and we need 7.4 million doses of the vaccine to achieve such a goal,” Dr Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, Director General, Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Ministry of Health told a press conference in Vientiane on Jun 24.

The government is working with international organisations to procure Covid-19 vaccines and has mobilized business community to contribute to its procurement efforts to secure Covid-19 vaccines for people in the country.

Laos has been allocated a quota of 6,606,084 doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

“The vaccine will gradually come to us according to the allocation by the COVAX Facility because the Covid-19 vaccine is needed by people around the world,” said Dr. Phonepaseuth.

“As for go receiving Covid-19 vaccine, deciding what kind of vaccine can be given is the duty of doctor. It’s not the duty of recipients to choose what kind of vaccine they want because all vaccines delivered to Laos have been tested by the Department of Food and Drugs and are safe,” said the Director General of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion.

Relevant authorities are working on how to speed up Covid-19 vaccination registration. An online mean will be chosen for Covid-19 vaccination registration process to ensure people gain a safe access to Covid-19 vaccine.

“We have learned from precious vaccinations that it is risky to have a lot of people packing into one place to get vaccinated. This puts them at risk of getting the virus rather than getting protection from being vaccinated. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and business community will make Covid-19 registration available online,” said Dr. Phonepaseuth.

Source: Lao News Agency

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has recorded 14 new cases of Covid-19 infections across the country over the past 24 hours. All of them were imported cases including eight in Champassak, and three each in Vientiane and Savanakhet.

Some 1,968 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the disease since the first case of the virus was detected in Laos in March 2020.

Laos has logged a total of 2,094 cumulative infections including 123 active cases and three deaths.

“In order to prevent a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak, importing new Covid-19 variants into the country, I would like to ask local authorities, public security and national defence authorities to use strict measures against those entering the country illegally using natural trails,” said Dr. Sisavath Soutthanilaxay, Deputy Director General, Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health. “Therefore it is necessary to attach attention to increasing border patrol to prevent the virus from being imported into the country. Anyone witnessing anyone returning from neighbouring countries must report the authorities in their respective villages so that they can be brought to quarantine centres and have samples collected for Covid-19 test.”

Over 1.34 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with China-made Sinopharm sharing 90% of Covid-19 vaccines vaccinated.

The vaccinated include 853,782 people given a first dose and 494,477 people receiving a second dose.

Source: Lao News Agency