UNDP Lao PDR overview

Who we are

UNDP in Lao PDR works with the Government to build on the impressive progress in economic growth and poverty reduction that has been made over the past two decades. The proportion of poor people has dropped from 46 percent in 1992 to 23 percent of the population in 2015, and annual growth rates are above 7%.

However, these achievements have been accompanied by widening gaps between rich and poor, women and men, ethnic groups, and residents of different regions of the country. Poverty and near-poverty remain widespread in rural areas, standing at nearly three times the rate of that in urban areas. Ensuring that growth is achieved with equity and benefits poor people is central to UNDP’s role in assisting the country in a smooth graduation from Least Developed Country status.

What we want to accomplish

We work to localise the post-2015 global development agenda with he Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core, to implement the the Government’s next, 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan 2021-2025. It also runs contrary to the principle of leaving no one behind. The COVID-19 pandemic caused economic growth to decline by 2.5 per cent in 2020 and has exacerbated existing macroeconomic vulnerabilities. In February 2021, the United Nations Committee for Development Policy recommended that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic be granted an extended five-year preparatory period, effectively setting least developed country (LDC) graduation for 2026 (assuming a positive and continued trajectory)

UNDP promotes effective, open decision making to improve governance in Lao PDR, supporting the Government’s strategic plan for effective governance through 2020. This is central to consolidating the impressive national development progress already achieved in many areas and ensuring that growth benefits all people in the country and does not harm the environment. We are committed to reduce the impact of unexploded ordnance (UXO) that continues to destroy lives and hinder development efforts.

What are our results?

UNDP’s strategic role as the supporter of the National Round Table Process, the country's main development forum, including UNDP's role as co-chair of the National Round Table Meeting with the government, is resulting in international donors’ priorities and financing becoming more cl osely aligned with national development goals. The Round Table Process effectively identifies key development focus areas and directs necessary resources to meet the needs. For example, as a result of attention by the Round Table Process, the Government has developed a multi-sectoral nutrition plan, committed to provide a free maternal health care package and is more closely reviewing the quality of foreign direct investment.

With UNDP's assistance, Government service delivery is improving at the national, provincial and district levels. People in 35 districts in five of the country’s poorest provinces are taking development into their own hands following UNDP’s investment in 286 small-scale local infrastructure projects. One-Door Service centres across the country ensure faster, more effective and more open delivery of services such as land or business registration.

The first community radio station in Khoun district, Xieng Khouang Province, led to 70 percent more women in the district using health facilities when pregnant and 50 percent more women, particularly from the Hmong ethnic group, now vaccinating their children. The Government and UNDP are looking to establish community radios in the country’s 47 poorest districts.

Parliamentarians are engaging more with the Lao people through outreach missions to districts and villages, assisted by expert teams that make use of coordination support from UNDP to National Assembly committees. The Legal Sector Master Plan, drafted with support from UNDP, is the key instrument to ensure a ‘rule of law state’ is realised by 2020.

With natural resources coming under increasing pressure, a set of poverty-environment indicators has been developed for monitoring and evaluating the national development plans, showing linkages with high policy relevance for Lao PDR: land use management for sustainable development; food security; forest and trees; environmental pollution control/waste management; and natural disasters.

The National Investment Strategy, planned with UNDP's technical assistance, acts as a guide for promoting and selecting quality investments in natural resources that do not harm the environment. The Small Grants Programme shows that small-scale investments in natural resource management and biodiversity conservation can have long-lasting impact if communities are involved, as well as contributing to the development of civil society.

The UXO programme has been tackling the deadly legacy of war since 1996. More than 30,000 hectares of land – equivalent to 300 square kilometres – have been cleared, and more than one million items of UXO destroyed. This increases the safety of people in nearby communities and expands the amount of land available for food production and other development activities.

Who are the decision makers?

The Resident Representative heads the UNDP in the country. Our Resident Representative is assisted by a Deputy Resident Representative.

UNDP Lao PDR works closely with the Government of Lao PDR, through its designated UN division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All activities falling within the Country Programme Document 2022 – 2026 are harmonized with the Lao PDR-UN Partnership Framework 2022 – 2026 that includes the overall UN development assistance to Lao PDR over five years.

Current staff count for Lao People's Democratic Republic