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Friday, January 31, 2025
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Laos, UNFPA Discuss Milestones in Country Program Meeting

This Week

On 28 January, the Lao government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held an annual review and planning meeting, sharing progress in the 3rd year of implementation of the 7th Country Program 2022-2026.

Phonevanh Outhavong, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment, delivered opening remarks on behalf of the Lao government taking note of the tangible progress in 2024 and the 2025 priorities and interventions in the framework of the 7th Country Program for Laos for 2022 to 2026.

Representatives from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Health, the Lao Women’s Union, the Lao Youth Union, and the Ministry of Education and Sports, as well as development partners and UN agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), attended the event to provide their inputs.

“This annual review and planning meeting serves as a key platform for the Government of Laos, UNFPA, and program partners and stakeholders to discuss progress in implementing the 7th Country Program. Together, we shall review past achievements, identify lessons learned, and explore ways to address challenges to ensure the successful implementation of the Country Program priority interventions to achieve annual targets for this year” said Phonevanh Outhavong in her opening remarks.

Bakhtiyor Kadyrov, UNFPA Representative, said, “Over the past year, the Country Program contributed to strengthening the national reproductive health and family planning services, promoted gender equality, and expanded opportunities for young people.  From delivering life-saving support for survivors of gender-based violence to empowering young people with knowledge about their rights, protecting maternal health, and ensuring no one is left behind in once-in-a-decade initiatives like the census, our government partners and program stakeholders have been a driving force for progress.”

During the meeting, representatives from line ministries presented key achievements, challenges, and opportunities from 2024. They also outlined key priorities for 2025.

Throughout 2024, UNFPA and the government launched several initiatives to strengthen reproductive health and family planning services, which play a key role in supporting national efforts to achieve zero preventable maternal death, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage.

With the UNFPA and government partnership, a significant number of young people across the country especially in rural areas have been empowered with knowledge about their rights and equipped with essential life skills. This creates a strong foundation for them to realize their full potential.

UNFPA also provided technical support to the Lao government to prevent and address gender-based violence in Laos. In addition, UNFPA, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, provided life-saving support to survivors of gender-based violence. As part of the UNFPA humanitarian response, 4,000 women and girls received health services in flood-affected areas, and over 1,700 dignity kits were distributed.

The Pilot Census and Post Enumeration Survey in 2024 provided very important recommendations in support of preparations and quality assurance measures for the 5th Population and Housing Census this year, which is expected to generate a wealth of data for the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan and sectoral policies and program to reach the furthest behind first.

“I would like to highlight the importance of collaboration and coordination to achieve high-quality results in empowering women and young people. advancing sexual and reproductive health, addressing gender-based violence and child marriage, and ensuring data-driven policymaking. I extend my sincere gratitude to all the government counterparts and implementing partners, particularly the Ministry of Planning and Investment, for their excellent collaboration and coordination support conducive to achieving tangible progress and key to policy-to-community-level changes during the third year of the seventh country program.” said Bakhtiyor.

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