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Laos, Mekong habitat hotspot aid helps communities, climate, conservation

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Human lives and habitats intertwine
Community participation key to conservation outcomes.

With a habitat range boasting more biodiversity per square metre than the mighty Amazon basin, the arc where mountains meet the plains via the Mekong and other major river valleys form the Indo-Burma hotspot that includes Laos is well known as an area of immense natural and ecological value that is nevertheless under increased threat from degradation as populations and demands grow and the climate changes.

Efforts to protect, preserve and nurture wildlife habitat and the landscapes as well as the communities that live nearby have been given a boost via a 4-year project to support conservation activities centered on six high biodiversity landscapes in Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Encompassing some 14 protected areas in total regionwide, the Financing Agreement for the conservation of biodiversity and green growth in the Indo-Burma hotspot is co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The hotspots in Laos subject to the agreement include Phou Sithone (Bolihamxay), Nam Gnouang (Bolikhamxay) and Nam et Phou Louey (Houapanh LPB and Xieng Khuang). 

The three parties inked an agreement in Vientiane Wednesday for joint implementation by local authorities of each country, the private sector and WCS teams on the ground.

The project will focus on 5 key components and follows a first 4-year phase (2014-2018) and aims at strengthening the achievements, extending geographical coverage and developing integrated management models for landscapes.

Components include (i) an integrated landscape management approach, (ii) development of community-led enterprises that value the conservation of biodiversity, (iii) Improvement of commercial practices for green growth, (iv) promotion of the application of environmental, social and governance safeguard standards, and (v) communication and experience-sharing.

‘Climate and Biodiversity are global common goods. Tackling climate change and preserving biodiversity are top priorities for France,’ Her Excellency Ms Florence Jeanblanc-Risler, Ambassador of France to the Lao PDR told the gathering for the signing of the agreement in Vientiane attended by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Khambounnath Xayanone and Director-General of Department of Forestry, Mr Susath Xayakhoummaane and representatives of the embassies of Myanmar and Cambodia to Laos.

“This project will directly address the strategies identified in Laos’ National Biodiversity and Action Plan that aims to enhance the role of biodiversity as a national heritage and as a substantial contributor to poverty alleviation, as well as sustainable and resilient economic growth,’ Dr Santi Saypanya, WCS Lao PDR Deputy Director said.

He said WCS has been present in the countries of Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia for over 20 years.

This project ‘fits very well within the National Biodiversity Strategies of each country, and setting up public-private partnerships to finance the protection of biodiversity is a sustainable mechanism to be modeled for ensuring inclusive local economic development’, Mr. Matthieu Bommier, Head of AFD Vientiane Office, told the gathering.

‘Lessons emerging from WCS’s regional program show that responding to large-scale drivers of deforestation in high biodiversity landscapes requires solutions that integrate action across multiple scales with engagement of local communities, government, business sector developers, and financial investors.

“These drivers of deforestation, which are local, national and international in scope and scale, continue to exert severe and growing pressure on protected areas and local livelihoods in these high biodiversity landscapes, and demand sustained and coordinated action at multiple scales to address them,’ he said.

This presence forms the backbone of the WCS Greater Mekong priority region, providing the most advanced WCS regional program in terms of addressing major cross-cutting threats to biodiversity conservation and human welfare.

WCS has multi-year MoUs with the governments of Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia enabling a smooth and collaborative continuation of activities from the previous phase.

A video highlighting ongoing efforts including the popular tourist-friendly Nam Nern Night Safari at Nam Et Phou Louey Protected Area in Huaphan province was also screened at the signing.

Railway Cuts Through, Belt & Road Reviewed At China-ASEAN Meet

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Lao-China Railway scale model
Lao China Railway model rollingstock

Travelers, tourists and residents in Laos can expect to be able to ride the rails to traverse some of the country’s key destinations and onward to China’s Yunnan province and beyond by the end of 2021, and eventually, in the other direction to Bangkok, a major strategic dialogue meeting in China has been told.

The project was 40% complete and on track, a senior academic from Laos told a strategic dialogue forum in Nanning to mark the 5th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, a major China-led initiative to boost infrastructure on regional trade routes.

The Forum was held in conjunction with the China-ASEAN Expo.

Speaking at the 11th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum was held in Nanning, Guangxi, the Associate Dean of the Lao Academy of Social Sciences said the railway would serve to connect China and ASEAN more closely was key to transforming Laos from a landlocked country to a land-linked country, news portal sina.com.cn reported (in Chinese).

Lao Academy of Social Sciences Associate Dean
Lao Academy of Social Sciences Associate Dean speaks in China

She said that the Sino-Royal Railway is conducive to the exchange of people and investment and the trade in Laos and Chinese goods.

After the commissioning, the railway would contribute to solving many employment problems in Laos and promote the development of the tourism industry and facilitate travel to strengthen exchange and cooperation between China and ASEAN, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, she said.

Lao-China Railway
Laos China Railway Route.

Proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (comprising both the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road on land and at sea.

To follow the railways’ route, a video has been published which can be viewed on Youtube.

For more specifics on particulars of the project, visit Laotian Times own handy explainer Everything You Need to Know about the Laos-China Railway.

 

A new phenomenon in the Smart Phone market in Laos!

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Laotian Times
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The release of the ocean blue Galaxy Note 9 recently led to a shortage of stock in only a few days, as the reception was greater than anticipated. Now the ocean blue Galaxy Note 9 has returned for sale at all Samsung retailers throughout the country! Hurry and get yours and collect some bonus gifts while supplies last.

Ocean Blue Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Ocean Blue Samsung Galaxy Note 9

#SamsungMobileLaos #GalaxyNote9Laos

Ecotourism Investment in Savannakhet Promotes Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction

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Laotian Times
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Savannakhet Ecotourism and Investment

Lao PDR’s development has been rapid during the last decade, largely funded by income from natural resources driving the bulk of economic growth. The Government is promoting responsible investment across the country to ensure that quality investments benefit all of Lao society, fostering green development and sustainable use of natural resources, in accordance with the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan.

The Government of Lao PDR declared this year “Visit Laos Year 2018” to increase the country’s profile as a tourist destination. Contributing to these efforts, Savannakhet Province held a Responsible Business Forum to promote investment in ecotourism and corporate social responsibility in the tourism service sector. The meeting was held in Xonnabouly District, Savannakhet, based on the potential of the Ong Mang Sanctuary and other sites in the vicinity of Kaysone Phomvihane City.  It was attended by many private sector representatives and entrepreneurs as well as government representatives from Savannakhet Province, line ministries, and departments.

Recognizing the importance of private sector investment and community engagement for sustainable development, Vice Governor of Savannakhet, H.E. Mr. Thonkeo Phouttakayyalath, highlighted “the importance of building the capacity of rural communities for tourism development and improvement of livelihoods to achieve sustainable natural resource management”.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Balasubramaniam Murali further remarked that “ecotourism has the potential to greatly enhance the provincial economy, as well as change the lives of many within rural areas like Xonnabouly District”.

Delegates at the Responsible Business Forum in Savannakhet. Photo: UNDP Lao PDR
Delegates at the Responsible Business Forum in Savannakhet. Photo: UNDP Lao PDR

Ecotourism provides local communities with new sources of income and opportunities for development. It also incentivizes the private sector to take better care of the environment as many tourists are willing to pay extra to visit attractions that are maintained and conserved sustainably.

Prior to the dialogue meeting, delegates tried out an ecotourism circuit from Kaysone Phomvihane City, visiting Nam Sui Reservoir, Dong Ling (Monkey Forest) and the Ong Mang Ecosystems Conservation Centre. The delegates engaged with the Village Conservation Team from Ban Sanamxay who highlighted the successes and challenges of community-based conservation in ecotourism. This ecotourism trail will be further developed and promoted to tourists visiting Savannakhet province in collaboration with private tour operators.

The Responsible Business Forum was organized by the Savannakhet Department of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the SAFE Ecosystems Project, implemented by the Department of Forest in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and supported by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility.

 

For more information on investment please contact:

Mr. Valiya Sichanthongthip
Director Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province

Email s_valiya@hotmail.com
Tel: +856 20 59693232

 

Mr. Keokolakoth Chanthavisai,

National Project Manager, Sustainable Forest and Land Management in the Dry Dipterocarp Forest Ecosystem of Southern Lao PDR Project

Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Vientiane, Lao PDR

Email keo.korakoth@hotmail.com

Tel: +856 20 599 149 55

 

Dr. Margaret Jones Williams
Head of Natural Resources Management and Climate Change,

UNDP Lao PDR
E-mail: margaret.jones.williams@undp.org
Tel: +856 21 267 710

 

Photos: UNDP, Phoonsab Thevongsa

Road to Tokyo2020 Paralympics via Catwalk as Athletes Make Model Efforts

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Lao Paralympic Athletes
Lao Tokyo2020 Paralympic aspirants model at Lao Fashion Week 2018

Tears of joy, pain and expectation; the road to Tokyo2020 Games, like all Olympics and Paralympics before them, is being paved with them, and particularly in the South-East Asian nation of Laos.

The efforts of aspiring Paralympic athletes as they strive to achieve personal bests and to represent their nations at the highest level have always resulted in the shedding of the proverbial “blood, sweat and tears” at locations from one corner of the globe to another.

The fashion industry might seem many metaphorical miles away from the sporting arena in form and function, but the will to compete and the struggle to break down barriers continues apace, in this case in the South-East Asian nation of Laos.

That was the case as Lao Fashion Week teamed up once again with Laos-active Japan NGO Asian Development with the Disabled Persons (ADDP) to showcase Laos’ parasports athletes alongside employees of inclusive social enterprise as amateur fashion models on Laos’ fashion’s biggest professional stage, working to break down barriers to participation in across society.

Pumped to the powerful voice of emerging Lao teen singing sensation Alita Alounsavath to the strains of “never give up, no, no”, the crowd in the Lao capital rose to their feet to applaud the participants and the efforts of the participants and the NGO that supports their struggle to make dreams a reality against the odds.

Alita Alounsavath
Alita Sings up a storm at Lao Fashion Week for ADDP on Road to Tokyo 2020.

 

Adorned with creations by Japanese flower designer Norie, the models continued a long-running annual collaboration between LFW and ADDP to help make the show a reality. Among them was Pia, who represented Laos at the Rio 2016 Paralympics in powerlifting.

Indeed, the connection between sporting and socio-economic participation lies at the heart of the organisation’s mission. Initiatives of ADDP include the Parasports Promotion Project with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which seeks to smooth the path to greater participation on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and beyond.

The project involves providing training and expertise from Japan and beyond to benefit parasports athletes and coaches in Laos to compete in multiple sports.

The program most recently saw Parasports Powerlifting training in Kyushu, Japan under experienced coach Takashi Jo before participating in Asia-pacific regional championships in the city of Kita-Kyushu.

Wheelchair basketball and goalball, an adapted sport for the vision impaired, also feature in the project.

The latter sport was the subject of a short film inspired by the life and sporting efforts of Lao goalball athlete Ms La Dalavong, whose young life was forever changed by an accident by war-era unexploded ordnance (UXO) before discovering a path forward through sport. A Lao New Wave Cinema production, the film visited the inspiring athlete in her home village and on the sporting court in Vientiane. 

Other ADDP initiatives include the sign-language friendly and inclusive Minna-no-Cafe where customers and staff alike can communicate with the hard of hearing.

The NGO also works with its employees to produce a range of popular cookies which are for sale at various outlets including the cafe.

ADDP was also a participant in efforts that saw the creation of a Lao-Japan Friendship Sakura Park in Viengxay district, Huaphan province planted with Japanese cherry blossom trees.

As in all nations, the participation of disabled persons in Laos comes up against various barriers of access, physical, social and institutional.

It is understood that greater participation for all people and profile of disability issues in Laos can be increased via ADDP initiatives and major events such as Lao Fashion Week. As in fashion, by celebrating the achievements of past and present participants and strengthening pathways, the dreams of the aspiring Paralympic competitors and fashion industry participants are nurtured alike.

For an industry often criticised as fickle and superficial, initiatives such as this prove the adage that fashion can have a big heart. I’m not crying… you’re crying! Somebody dry my eyes!

Images via Laos Briefly

     

Typhoon Mangkhut Skirts Laos Following Phils, HK, China Landfalls

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Typhoon Mangkhut via Goole Maps
Typhoon Mangkhut skirts Laos on track to China's South-West.

Typhoon Mangkhut is on track to miss Laos after tracking data Monday morning had the destructive storm headed roughly West-North-West from Hong Kong towards South-West China.

Nonetheless, residents and visitors to northern and central regions of Laos should remain on alert for heavy downpours on Monday and Tuesday according to the Lao Meteorology and Hydrology Department.

With the storm proceeding over China’s Yunnan province, the result of heavy rainfall in the Mekong-Lancang catchment could cause water levels to rise downstream.

It comes after the severe storm system impacted parts of The Philippines, as well as Hong Kong SAR and the mainland of China with ferocious winds and storm surges seen late last week and over the weekend, leading to loss of life and property that is still being estimated.

According to the Hong Kong Meteorological Observatory, Typhoon Mangkhut will move across the inland area of southern China and weaken gradually today and tomorrow.

Follow the storm’s progress via Google at https://google.org/crisismap/google.com/2018-mangkhut

More information at World Meterological Organization (WMO).

Boy Wonder: Paris’ Prestigious ESMOD Fashion School Awaits Lao Young Design Wunderkind

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Lao Fashion Week 2018
Paris’ Prestigious ESMOD Fashion School Awaits Lao Young Design Wunderkind

Fashion wunderkind Nanthaveth Buppha, known to friends and family by the nickname “Boy”, is getting set for Paris after taking top spot as Lao Young Designer 2018.

The Laotian Times was at Crowne Plaza Vientiane as the young fashionista took out the top spot among the five design aspirants awarded by the Lao Young Designers Project, an initiative of Lao Fashion Week.

The young designer is set to spend six months learning the trade at Paris ESMOD.

Runners-up were not left out. Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts will welcome first runner-up Mr Daovanh Inthavong for six months.

Mr Visaphon Keovilay (aka Candy) is set to spend an year studying at the London College of Design and Fashion’s Hanoi campus.

A 2-month course at Manila’s Fashion Institute of Phlippines followed by 2 months interning with designers awaits Ms Chindasanga Vongsouly.

Thai designers Pitnapat and Eaggamon in Bangkok will play host to two months of training for Mr Kee Phearkhamngon.

More images at Laos Briefly.

Foreigners Married to Lao Citizens Now Entitled to Spouse Visa

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Laotian Times
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Foreigner Spouse Marriage Visa

The Government of Laos will now be issuing foreign spouse visas to foreigners who hold a valid Lao certificate of marriage with a Lao citizen.

Until now, the foreign spouses of Lao citizens received no special privileges or entitlements after completing the lengthy marriage process. Those who held a valid Lao certificate of marriage could remain in Laos by way of a business visa, investment visa, or tourist visa only.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a new type of visa, the SP-B3, would be issued from 1 August 2018. After this policy change, the government has quietly begun issuing a new type of visa upon request to those holding a licensed and registered marriage certificate.

 

RDK Group
RDK Group can now assist with your application for a SP-B3 Spouse Visa!

 

 
The Application Process

The application process for this visa contains a number of steps but is not overly complicated. This is divided into three parts.

Part 1:  Spouse Visa

Documents Required:

  1. A copy of the marriage certificate (1 copy)
  2. Letter of Proposal – can be obtained at the Consular Office, MOFA (1 copy)
  3. A copy of the family book or ID card of the Lao citizen (1 copy)
  4. A certificate of residence signed and sealed by the village authorities (1 copy)
  5. A copy of the passport of the foreign spouse (1 copy)

 

Procedures:

The documents listed above must be brought to the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), where officers will issue visa authorization. The authorization document must be brought to the border checkpoint specified in the letter of proposal (listed above). The fee for this is 30 USD.

 

Part 2: Stay Permit

 The documents required are:

 Documents Required:

  1. Letter of Proposal or Request to Register for a Stay Permit (the MOFA consular office will assist with this).
  2. Certificate of Residence signed and sealed by the village authorities (1 copy).
  3. A copy of the family book or ID card of the Lao citizen (1 copy).
  4. A copy of the passport of the foreign spouse (1 copy)
  5. A copy of the spouse visa (SP-B3) (1 copy)
  6. A copy of the Certificate of Marriage (1 copy)
  7. Passport photos at 3×4 size (3 photos)

 

Procedures:

The documents listed above must be brought to the Office of Foreigner Administration for processing.  The fee for the Stay Permit is 1,320,000 kip. 

 

Part 3: 1 Year Visa

After the officials have issued the Stay Permit, it will be necessary to have the visa converted to a 1 year visa.

The documents required are:

Documents Required:

  1. A copy of the marriage certificate (1 copy)
  2. A letter of proposal (1 copy)
  3. A copy of the family book or ID card of the Lao citizen (1 copy).
  4. Certificate of Residence signed and sealed by the village authorities (1 copy).
  5. A copy of the passport of the foreign spouse (1 copy)

 

Procedures:
The documents listed above must be brought to the Consular Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for processing. The fee for this is 1,320,000 kip.

 

Working Under a Spouse Visa

Those holding a spouse visa are entitled to work in the Lao PDR, and the application process is similar to that of an LA-B2 visa.  A company must sponsor an individual residing in Laos under the spouse (SP-B3) visa, in which case the Ministry of Labor will issue a work permit.

 

Foreign Marriage Certificates

The spouse visa is also available to spouses of Lao citizens who have registered their marriage overseas. In order to apply, the foreign marriage certificate must be authorized at the Treaties and Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

 This article supplied by RDK GROUP.

 

RDK Visa Service

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