Month: July 2021

With 2021 bringing in the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), the Government has committed to improve public administration with a particular focus on strengthening public service through ambitious targets in the new NESDP.

A workshop on the 2nd Public Service User Feedback Survey results was held virtually on Jun 30 to provide an opportunity to share the results of the Public Service Survey (SUFS) among the four target districts namely Samphan district of Phongsaly Province, La of Oudomxay, Samuoy of Saravan and Dakcheung of Xekong.

Moreover, it provided a platform for members of the Provincial People’s Councils (PPC) to share their experiences in applying the results of these public surveys to meet the demands of members in their constituencies.

As chair, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nisith Keopanya remarked, “The SUFS will be a mechanism by which people can participate in expressing their views on public administration and development in their districts. It is a strong will of the Party and the government, which is the state of the people for the people and the interests of the people. It also reflects as one of the indicators of the Lao PDR in implementing the SDGs, especially the 16th Goal- to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies”.

Representing the key development partners under the Governance for Inclusive Development Programme, or GIDP, was Ms. Aurélie Righetti, Head of Governance and Citizen Participation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, Mr. Seán O’Connell, Head of Governance Unit, UNDP and Mr. Thilaphong Oudomsine, Programme Specialist, UNCDF.

Development partners and local authorities participated in the virtual workshop given the current COVID-19 restrictions.

Ms. Righetti expressed that the “SUFS was introduced more recently as a multipurpose tool. On the one hand, SUFS aims at promoting and facilitating interactions between service users (citizens) and service providers, especially at local level. The feedback provides valuable information to the government of Laos to improve the delivery of services so that these respond to the needs and demands of all citizens, including vulnerable groups and people living in remote areas.”

Crucial to the role of PPC members is collecting the experiences and feedback of citizens on their engagement with local government. The PPC members in the four districts were actively involved in the implementation of the SUFS 2 and have shown their interest to use the SUFS results to monitor the service delivery at the district level.

Mr. O’Connell said, “PPC members must use this information directly from communities to highlight areas for improvement by provincial governments, so that the Lao PDR can quickly adapt policies and practice, to reach its ambitious development targets in the years ahead.”

The draft results of the survey, collecting feedback on citizen’s experiences on using public services, were shared with PPC members from across the Lao PDR so that they could in turn use this information to advance their oversight mandate in monitoring public service delivery at the Provincial Level.

SDC further encouraged the continuation of SUFS practice on a broader scale and ensures the integration of citizens’ feedback into local planning and administration of public services. Furthermore, to strengthen accountability mechanisms and facilitate PPC’s oversight work – to ensure each Provincial Government delivers on the national development agenda, including the 9th NSEDP and the SDGs.

Source: Lao News Agency

This year 1st July marks the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China has gone a long way toward the prosperity China.

The Communist Party of China has grown from initially 50 members and now becomes the largest political party in the world with more than 91 million members.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has made remarkable progress in all fields. In this regard, the eradication of poverty of China, which is one of the strategic focuses of the work of building a comprehensive and prosperous society of China, has been achieved.

In February this year, China declared a “complete victory” in having all of its nearly 100 million rural residents living below the poverty line shaking off poverty. Such declaration was made after eight years of arduous efforts.

“China has needed a relatively short period of time to eradicated poverty for 100 million people. No other country and no other political party in the world has done that,” said Ms MO Xiao Ling, Director of CRI Vientiane. “This is an achievement of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics in comrade Xi Jinping’s era. China’s achievement in poverty eradication represents the people-centre development thought of the Communist Party of China.”

China is the first developing country in the world to have achieved poverty reduction – the Millennium Development Goal the United Nations had set out to be achieved by 2015.

At a grand ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC in Beijing on Thursday, Secretary General of the Communist Party of China and State President Xi Jinping announced: “China has realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.”

“This means that we have brought about a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty in China, and we are now marching in confident stride towards the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects,” Xi said.

Another big achievement that the world praises China is a victory in its fight against Covid-19, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

So far, China has continued to assist many countries including the Lao PDR to respond to the Covid-19 through sending to the country vaccines and other medical equipment, medical experts to help it fight the pandemic.

Source: Lao News Agency

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has recorded 23 new cases of Covid-19 over the past twenty four hours.

The newly reported infections included 20 imported cases – seven each in Savannakhet and Champassak, four in Khammuan and two in Vientiane – and three local transmissions in Vientiane province.

The nationwide number of Covid-19 infections, accumulated since March 2020, has reached 2,144 including 1,981 recoveries and three deaths.

As of Jun 29, over 1.47 million people had been vaccinated against Covid-19 with over 920,000 people given first doses and 556,000 given second injections.

Source: Lao News Agency

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Thursday the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) decision to hold its tournament in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was “absolutely irresponsible.”

The Euro Cup 2020 tournament has been underway for about two weeks, with games held throughout Europe. The semifinal and championship rounds are scheduled to be played in Britain’s Wembley Stadium next week with at least 60,000 spectators expected.

With COVID-19 restrictions varying from nation-to-nation, crowd sizes for the tournament have ranged from completely full — 60,000 in Budapest — to 25-45% capacity in other venues where there have often been around 10,000-15,000 spectators, Reuters reports.

During Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing in Berlin, along with German Health Minister Jens Spahn, Seehofer said living during the pandemic, especially in Britain where the highly contagious delta variant has caused surges in new cases, taking precautions against contact and maintaining hygiene regulations are “indispensable.”

Spahn said nations like Britain, where a high number of people have received only the first of two vaccinations, the delta variant has led to an increase in infections. He said he expects the variant to be the dominant strain Germany by the end of July, accounting for as much as 80% of all new infections.

Seehofer said he suspects the decision to hold the tournament was more about commerce than protection and urged the UEFA “not to push off” the decision to limit crowd sizes at their matches on local hosts and instead make the decision themselves.

Earlier this week the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, called on the UEFA to “carefully analyze” its decision regarding next week’s finals at Wembley.

Source: Voice of America

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – Amid rising caseloads of coronavirus infections as it emerges from a strict COVID lockdown, Cambodia is pinning its hopes on a vaccination rollout that will help the nation reach herd immunity, even as the nation confronts unique challenges that could hamper that effort.

Daily case numbers reached a record high of 1,130 Wednesday, far more than reported in April, when severe lockdowns, bans on alcohol sales and travel between provinces were imposed.

Cambodia, though, like most developing countries, faces a range of problems not typically associated with wealthier countries in the West, particularly overcrowding in the capital, Phnom Penh, where several people often rent one room, in some cases one bed, to find a few hours’ sleep, away from the grind outside.

Bradley Murg, a senior adviser to the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, told VOA people here simply don’t have the space, security, or access to health services and supermarkets as those in the leafy suburbs of Western cities in countries such as the United States or Australia.

“In a highly densely populated city like Phnom Penh, it’s incredibly difficult to implement a lockdown effectively even with a whole-of-government approach,” he said.

“There are naturally going to be challenges in light of the level of development, in light of the daily needs of the population et cetera,” he added.

“Ultimately a permanent lockdown or long-term lockdown is simply not a feasible strategy in Cambodia or in Phnom Penh specifically.”

The closure of markets resulted in food shortages and price gouging, with authorities struggling to enforce lockdowns after dividing the capital into yellow, orange and red zones, depending on case numbers and transmissions – with red areas containing the greatest risks.

Restrictions have eased, but schools, bars, gyms and many other businesses remain closed, while restaurant hours have been curtailed with strict social distancing and other health measures in place.

Hang Sokunthea, an academic and author of I Am a Daughter, a book about female empowerment in Cambodia, said life during the pandemic has been harsh on the poor.

“A lot of the poor families live very close to each other, which is where a lot of the red zones was located, where they live together and then they spread the COVID infection even faster,” she told VOA.

Moreover, she said, “without the market, without having the living income, they just cannot really make much of a living,” she said.

The situation resulted in a cat-and-mouse game between the police and vendors, Hang Sokunthea said, adding, “they were just selling anything on the streets even with the police chasing them.”

Keo Savady is a small business operator, selling clothes online, and, like many from Cambodia’s burgeoning middle classes, she too is feeling the pinch after losing her job at the Hard Rock Cafe in Phnom Penh.

“The bad thing is I just start my new online business, a small online business, and it doesn’t work because of the situation, COVID-19 is not so good,” she said, adding, “me and my family, some of them lost their job, so we had to find a smaller room.”

Cambodia had emerged relatively unscathed from the pandemic during its first year but that changed on Feb. 20 when, authorities say, two Chinese women bribed their way out of quarantine, went out dancing and spread the disease.

Since then, the number of confirmed cases has climbed from less than 500 to more than 50,000 with more than 44,143 recoveries and 602 deaths.

However, Cambodia is ranked second, after Singapore, in its vaccination rollout among the 10 Association of South East Asian Nations countries after securing about 11 million doses of Sinopharm and Sinovac from China.

It says a total of 20 million doses will be secured by August, while funding from Australia and the United States has enabled access to the COVAX-facility and AstraZenica vaccinations.

“When one places Singapore in comparison to Cambodia in terms of level of development, level of infrastructure etcetera – it’s truly remarkable that Cambodia’s had this level of success in its all-of-government campaign to rollout vaccinations as quickly as possible,” Murg said.

“The kingdom is well on track towards meeting its goals and it’s a story that has not received nearly the attention it deserves,” he added.

Almost 18% of Cambodia’s population of 16.5 million people have been fully vaccinated with two doses, while a quarter of its population have received a single dose.

Cambodia hopes to reach herd immunity with 10 million people vaccinated by the end of the year and it wants to reopen its tourism industry in the fourth quarter to fully vaccinated tourists.

Source: Voice of America