The Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong, delivers her opening remarks while co-chairing the meeting on Wednesday.

Govt teams up with partners for rural development in Laos 

The Lao government and its development partners will continue focusing on key areas such as nutrition improvement, education development and disaster risk reduction in four priority provinces of Laos.
These development efforts were in focus at the national steering committee meeting for the Lao/338 Local Development Programme, which was convened in Vientiane on Wednesday by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The meeting was co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong, the Chargé d’affaires of the Luxembourg Embassy in Laos, Mr Thomas Lammar, and Regional Deputy Director at the SDC for the Mekong Region, Mr Andreas Gerrits.
The event gathered around 90 participants, including representatives of relevant central agencies and the four target provinces of Bokeo, Borikhamxay and Khammuan, and Vientiane.
The meeting assessed the progress made in 2024 and outlined the strategic direction for 2025.
In her opening remarks, Mrs Phonevanh highlighted the significance of local development, particularly in rural areas, as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and poverty reduction.
She emphasised that the Lao/338 Programme is aligned with the priorities of the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2021-2025) and the upcoming Tenth Plan (2026-2030), as well as the five-year local socio-economic development plans of the target provinces.
She stressed the importance of strengthening coordination among stakeholders to ensure effective and high-quality implementation, in line with the principles of green and sustainable development.
Mr Lammar underscored the role of the Lao/338 Programme in fostering economic and social opportunities in villages through a variety of measures and approaches.
He reaffirmed Luxembourg’s commitment to supporting local development initiatives that enhance access to resources and create opportunities for those in need.
Mr Gerrits too reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to the programme, and stressed the importance of fully implementing planned activities in 2025 to ensure the timely completion of key development initiatives.
He expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the governments of Laos and Luxembourg to achieve  shared development goals.
The five-year Lao/338 Programme (2023-2027) focuses on three key areas - creating economic and social opportunities, improving access to public services, and enhancing village-level services.
The ultimate objective of the programme is to improve the living conditions of rural communities by strengthening natural resource management, increasing agricultural productivity, and promoting income-generating activities.
Significant progress was made in 2024, including the completion of 226 village development plans across 17 districts, implementation of 47 small-scale infrastructure projects that were facilitated through contracts with local partners, and 111 capacity-building activities for central and local government staff, including 56 specialised training sessions.
This year, the programme will focus on nutrition improvement, education development, and disaster risk reduction.
Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that all planned activities align with national development priorities and contribute to long-term sustainability.
The meeting ended with a strong commitment from all parties to further strengthen collaboration, enhance local capacities, and ensure effective implementation of the Lao/338 Programme to benefit rural communities in the target provinces.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update February 20, 2025)