Acting President of the Environmental Protection Fund, Mrs Bounphama Phothisane (right), and a provincial official shake hands after signing an agreement on environmental protection.

5.5 billion kip in funding allocated for environmental protection

The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) has earmarked 5.5 billion kip for the rollout of pivotal projects in six provinces as part of a move to enhance environmental protection.
The projects will take place in the provinces of Luang Namtha, Khammuan, Bokeo, Champasak, Phongsaly and Xayabouly, and at the Lao People’s Army’s Institute of Hygiene, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
An agreement on the initiative was signed in Vientiane by the Acting President of the Environmental Protection Fund, Mrs Bounphama Phothisane, and officials from provincial agriculture and forestry departments.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Dr Saynakhone Inthavong and a World Bank representative presided over the project signing ceremony.
The projects will run for three years with a focus on protected areas and enhanced protection measures to preserve forested areas.
Dr Saynakhone said the projects would ensure widespread dissemination of information about the harmful impacts of waste in towns and about social impact management relating to project activities and operations.
The initiative will include raising public awareness about the climate change adaptation project in Luang Namtha, improved environmental management and climate change in Xayabouly province, and forest resource management and protection in the Phou Hai National Protected Area and participatory livelihood improvement in Khammuan province.
Other project components include a waste management improvement project at army hospitals, the “Green, Clean, and Beautiful” project involving parental and student participation, and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) scheme at Sinsay Primary and Secondary School under the army’s Institute of Hygiene, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
All of these initiatives support the government’s policy on improved environmental management.
The Environment Protection Fund provides funding to manage land, protect natural resources, preserve wildlife habitats, make critical capital improvements about conservation, and provide access to local people.
Dr Saynakhone said the projects would also examine the relationship between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ societies, the roles played by various institutions within them, and their effects on the processes of social, political, economic, and environmental transformation.
He urged all funded entities to exercise high responsibility in managing and implementing their projects, saying they must align with their stated goals and adhere to the EPF’s funding regulations.
The Environment Protection Fund was established in 2005 as a financially autonomous organisation to strengthen environmental protection, sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and community development in Laos.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
 (Latest Update July 8, 2025)