Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh will pay an official visit to Vietnam in response to the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.
The premier will be accompanied by a delegation of high-ranking officials of Laos.
Scheduled for Jan 8-10, the visit aims to enhance the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Lao News Agency
The United States Department of State has awarded the Mekong River Commission (MRC) a grant of USD773,570 to improve data collection and sharing for data-driven cooperative water management in the Mekong River Basin and continued exchanges with the Mississippi River Commission.
The announcement was made early this month during a virtual meeting between the MRC and the Mississippi River Commission where some 50 senior representatives from both sides joined.
The support, provided under the framework of the Mekong-US Partnership, will run for a period of three years from 2021 to 2024. The grant directly backs key activities of the Basin Development Strategy 2021–2030 and the MRC Strategic Plan 2021–2025.
“The United States is pleased to support the MRC in promoting and improving transparent water data sharing. Although small, this grant will provide strategic support to the important work of the MRC in the Mekong and wider region,” said Ms Christine Dawson, Director of the Office of Conservation and Water at the US Department of State.
The programme will address crucial data gaps and improve data sharing for impact monitoring, forecasting, infrastructure operations, basin planning, and state-of-basin reporting. It will support disaggregated data collection and mapping on gender and vulnerability, including riverine communities to improve basin planning and operations, as well as early warning systems.
Under their existing technical cooperation, the MRC and the Mississippi River Commission, with technical support of the US Army Corps of Engineers, have conducted several exchange visits contributing to increased knowledge and practice of shared river basin planning, disaster management and stakeholder engagement in both basins.
Major General Diana Holland, President of the Mississippi River Commission, said that she recognized the Mekong River Commission as a technologically advanced world-class international River Basin organization serving the Mekong Countries. “Because of the Mekong River Commission’s history and standing in the international community, the Mississippi River Commission sees you as an equal partner in the Sister River Partnership. Just as the Mississippi River Commission believes that we have much to offer, and we are anxious to learn from you.”
Dr An Pich Hatda, Chief Executive Officer of the MRC Secretariat commented that “We have a common mission and shared commitment to promote sustainable development and management of the Mekong River that is confronted with increasing risks from climate change, extreme floods, droughts, and development activities.”
Modern technology including remote sensing products and datasets for basin planning and operations will support the improved implementation of the Procedures for Water Use and Monitoring together with sharing of basin conditions with the countries’ and people. The programme will also facilitate information sharing and communication between countries as they relate to water-related emergencies including water quality, navigation, and dam safety. The programme is expected to benefit basin planners, water managers, infrastructure operators, vulnerable river communities, and the general public.
With the new grant, the MRC has received approximately USD4.8 million in funding support from the United States since 2002.
Earlier this year the MRC joined the Friends of the Mekong that includes the Asian Development Bank, Australia, Cambodia, the European Union, Japan, Lao PDR, Myanmar, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Thailand, the United States, Viet Nam, and the World Bank.
Source: Lao News Agency
The Lao government has asked its Thai counterpart to allow Lao migrant workers who are vaccinated and test negative to Covid-19 to start working with Thai employers without being placed under quarantine.
Meeting via a virtual conference last week, the Lao side asked the Thai authorities to cut visa fees for Lao migrant workers from 2,000 baht per two years to 500 baht per two years, the pre-Covid-19 rate.
The Thai side was also asked to take strict actions against Thai employers employing illegal workers thus reducing the number of illegal workers from Laos as illegal migration has put Lao workers at risk of being deceived and trafficked.
Source: Lao News Agency
Some 1,272 new Covid-19 cases and five new deaths have been reported nationwide over previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 110,054 including 360 deaths, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.
Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control, Ministry of Health, Dr Sisavath Soutthanilaxay told a press conference today that the new infections were detected among 5,405 people tested for Covid-19 yesterday.
Of the total, 458 cases were reported in Vientiane, 169 in Oudomxay, 96 in Luang Namtha, 83 in Vientiane (province), 65 in Xieng Khuang, and 64 in Bokeo.
Some 854 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals nationwide yesterday.
Source: Lao News Agency
As the government is going to open the country to visitors on January 1, 2022, tourist attractions in Muang Ngoi, Luang Prabang Province have been made ready for domestic and foreign visitors to explore.
Favourite destinations in Muang Ngoi include Pha Chom Nang, Pha Daeng Peak, Pha Thok Cave, Phak Wang, and boat cruising on the Nam Ou River, among others.
“Pha Chom Nang is 100% ready to welcome visitors, especially its viewpoint, services with hygienic measures put in place to prevent Covid-19 spread,” said Mr. Ken Thongvilaisan, developer of Pha Chom Nang tourist site.
“In order to welcome visitors, we have made ready our services as well as anti-Covid-19 measures to ensure the safety of our visitors,” said Mr. Tuy Sihalat, owner of Mesing De Nong Khiew Resort.
Muang Ngoi is located about three hours drive from Luang Prabang City. It is a historical, cultural and natural destination for many domestic and foreign visitors.
Source: Lao News Agency
The Government of Japan has decided to provide grant assistance worth USD640,000 for nine projects on education, health, infrastructure and agriculture through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The development projects include five education projects in Phongsaly, Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Vientiane (province) and Xekong, two health projects in Phongsaly and Oudomxay, one infrastructure project in Luang Prabang and one agriculture project in Savannakhet.
The grant contract was signed on Dec 17 between Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR Kobayashi Kenichi and representatives of the respective provincial authorities where the projects are implemented.
The education projects are for the construction of new buildings at Somsavart Primary School in Xayaboury, Huaidam-Mai Primary School in Xekong, Lahang-nyai Lower Secondary School in Phongsaly, Kasi Lower Secondary School in Vientiane and Muang-Khay Secondary School in Luang Prabang to improve the educational environment.
The health projects for the construction of water supply systems will be implemented in Longnya and Senlat villages in Oudomxay where safe water is not sufficiently available due to aging water supply facilities and a shortage of water station, and Sapa village in Phongsaly where there are difficulties with access to safe water due to water pollution in the area.
The infrastructure project is to construct a bridge and a rural road in Done-ngeun village in Luang Prabang to improve the transportation access in the neighboring areas since heavy rains has washed away existing bridges and made road conditions worse in every wet-season.
The agriculture project is to construct an irrigation channel in Kengkok-Nua Village in Savannakhet Province to improve the agricultural system since the wet-season rice crop is extremely unstable and low-yielding in this area due to the frequent large-scale floods in recent years.
Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) provides necessary funds for relatively small-scaled projects that directly benefit local residents and are aimed at economic and social development in developing countries, based on the principle of human security. In order to ensure “no-one left behind” through rectification of regional disparity, Japan will continue to support and improve the basic standard of living at grassroots level in the Lao PDR.
Source: Lao News Agency
