Vientiane Capital, 11 March 2021- UNDP Lao PDR and the Embassy of China to Lao PDR, officially launched a multiple-country project- Learning from China's Experience to Improve Responding to COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific Region at the United Nations House. Project partners from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT), and World Health Organization (WHO) were in attendance along with representatives from the Embassy of China.

As one of the most devastating and widespread pandemics in recent history – the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of investing in multi-hazard disaster risk reduction, including disease outbreaks. The above mentioned project has received support from the South-South Cooperation Assistance Funds (SSCAF), to strengthen the preparedness and responding capacity at the Asia-Pacific regional level this project with special focus in 5 countries including Lao PDR.

The project will provide technical and logistical support on improving safe health care waste management systems in selected health care facilities and capacity development for health care professionals, local government staff and others who carry out essential services, as well as health care to contain the epidemic, for the protection of people and the environment. It will additionally provide advocacy, information sharing and communication support on protection against COVID-19 and its response for people in poverty and vulnerable groups - to ensure that they are not left behind and can equally benefit from the interventions to stay safe and healthy.

China’s successful experiences battling the COVID-19 pandemic will be shared and resolutions adjusted to suit the context in Lao PDR. UNDP will collaborate with the WHO in Lao PDR, MoH and MICT and several Chinese counterparts including Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of People’s Republic of China, Health Development Research Center, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Tsinghua University/Basel Convention Regional Center for Asia and the Pacific.

Ms. Ricarda Rieger, Resident Representative of UNDP in Lao PDR emphasized that, “economic growth, population increase, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles are major contributions to a growing solid waste management issue which includes medical waste, a challenge the government of Lao is tackling at health-care facilities nationwide. I am deeply pleased with the financial and technical support from China and grateful to be 1 of 5 countries to participate in this regional program. I also look forward to continuing the positive collaborations with our partners, the Ministry of Health and WHO”.

The representative from the Embassy of China to Lao PDR expressed his congratulations on the smooth and rapid organization, as well as implementation of this project during the epidemic. He emphasized the efficiency and dedication of UNDP in Lao PDR and also the victory of the GoL’s anti-epidemic policy.

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Contact Information:

UNDP

Ms. Aksonethip Somvorachit, Communications Analyst

Tel: 020 5502 1550

Email: aksonethip.somvorachit@undp.org