On 27 July, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs attended the ceremony held to mark the 50th Anniversary of Partnership between Laos and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Laos. The event was held under the theme “50 Years of the Partnership for People, Rights and Health,” at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Vientiane Capital. Attending the ceremony were senior leaders from line ministries, representatives from government sectors, Ambassadors to Laos, representatives from UN agencies, international organizations, and civil society organizations. This celebration ceremony was organized to reflect on the long-standing cooperation between the Government of Laos and UNFPA over five decades of partnership, promoting development in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, youth empowerment, gender equality, as well as the development of population data systems and national sustainable development.
On this occasion, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave opening remarks highlighting outstanding achievements over the past period, particularly in population work, education promotion, and public health improvements—all of which contribute to the implementation of national development priorities alongside the Action Plan of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Laos.
At the event, the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the commitment to achieving joint goals, striving in particular to reduce the maternal mortality rate to below 70 cases per 100,000 live births by 2030. Furthermore, as Laos enters a crucial phase of demographic transition, he emphasized the need to focus on education, public health, skills development for quality employment opportunities, and youth empowerment, while leveraging demographic potential to advance toward development goals and graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026.
At the event, Bakhodir Burkhanov, UN Resident Coordinator to the Lao PDR, delivered remarks emphasizing the importance of people-centered development, to which UNFPA has contributed by supporting the Lao PDR in areas such as policy formulation, coordination mechanisms, integration of demographic shifts, and the implementation of a fully digitalized Population and Housing Census. This data is vital for setting policies, allocating resources, and formulating the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan to ensure that no one is left behind.
In addition, Bakhtiyor Kadyrov, UNFPA Representative to the Lao PDR, noted that celebrating this milestone is not only about reflecting on past achievements, but also about setting shared goals to focus on unfinished agendas, further strengthen relations, and foster a comprehensive and sustainable partnership for the future in the years ahead.
