Enabling the Effective Integration of Lao PDR into ASEAN – Phase III

Enabling the Effective Integration of Lao PDR into ASEAN – Phase III

Outreach activity: Dissemination of ASEAN-related information at the Morning Market in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Photo: Lao National Television.

What is the project about?

Lao PDR joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July of 1997. Integration into the ASEAN community has brought both opportunities and challenges for Lao PDR.

Primary challenges are low capacity of Government officials to manage the complex process of integration and limited understanding of costs and benefits of ASEAN integration across public and private sectors. Ensuring comprehensive understanding of ASEAN integration among policy-makers and economic actors is necessary to ensure that all potential benefits from ASEAN integration are capitalised and the challenges are well managed.

With Lao PDR's membership into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and chairmanship of ASEAN confirmed in November 2015, the Government of Lao PDR has requested UNDP to continue supporting the smooth integration of the country into ASEAN to address challenges in terms of competitiveness of the Lao PDR labour market, the attractiveness of its business environment, its macroeconomic stability and other related concerns through building Government and private sector’s understanding of the complexities of integration.

What have we accomplished?

The ASEAN phase III (2013-2015) project has played an important role in increasing national commitment to the process of Lao PDR’s integration into ASEAN, while also strengthening capacity to coordinate ASEAN affairs within the Lao Government. Some of the significant achievements from the implementation of the project, ending in December 2015, are: 

  • Increasing awareness among Government officials, the business community and general public on ASEAN political and economic issues through workshops, ASEAN anniversary events and other public awareness-raising activities.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs outreach strategy has been finalised to serve as a guideline for the systematic dissemination of ASEAN information to the public and private sectors.
  • ASEAN-related documents are regularly collected, summarised, interpreted, translated and uploaded to the ASEAN webpage on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
  • Student forums, debates and speeches were organised with the National University of Lao PDR to increase the awareness of the general public, particularly youth, on the benefits and challenges of Lao PDR’s integration into ASEAN.
  • A youth-focused quiz has been developed for the ASEAN Facebook page to increase knowledge.
  • A study on the linkage between ASEAN integration and Human Development is underway. 
 
Related information:

Impact

START DATE

March 2013

END DATE

March 2016

STATUS

Completed

PROJECT OFFICE

Lao People's Democratic Republ

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

DONORS

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

$184,000

DELIVERY IN PREVIOUS YEARS

2013$43,962

2014$79,797

2015$59,735

Full Project information