Mr. President,

Distinguished Moderators,

1. I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation for the opportunity to join the dialogue with world leaders at this critical moment and my delegation highly values this SDG Summit convened at this mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, which provides a vital opportunity for the international community to reaffirm our political will and commitment to accelerate the implementation of this global development agenda.
2. We all acknowledge the falling behind in the global attempt to achieve this over-arching development framework. With an alarming signal that only 15% of the targets are on track, we must now clearly understand the upcoming tasks and the importance of urgent and ambitious actions that need to be delivered for the remainder of the SDGs.
3. It is evident that, among contributing factors, one of the pivotal missing pieces is the inadequate mobilization of resources required to overcome the significant development challenges we face. In this regard, we refer to (and support) the call by the Secretary General for the fundamental reforms of the international financial architecture and global institutions. This measure can be taken to address financing injustices and create a more equitable and functional global financial system. Also, supported by the proposed SDG Stimulus, it will surely assist in providing affordable long-term financing and expanding contingency financing for countries in pressing need.
4. However, irrespective of agreements and commitments made towards financing for sustainable development, there remains doubt in translating these frameworks into actionable steps that can make a difference in the acceleration of the SDGs implementation. In this connection, we support a robust call for turning financing frameworks into action. This is a manifold undertaking that requires an all-inclusive and comprehensive effort from all stakeholders involved to bridge the gap between policies, strategies, and implementation so as to ensure that the financing is available.

Mr. President,

5. As for the Lao PDR, significant progress has been made on some of the SDGs, meanwhile, many still have their indicators stagnated or regressing. These constitute priority goals where negative trends need to be addressed. In addition to the 17 global SDGs, Lao PDR has its national goal of SDG18 to achieve lives safe from unexploded ordnance (UXO). Although most of its indicators have been advanced in different degree, the UXO issue remains a threat to our national development and the national efforts for poverty eradication.
6. While grappling with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the last few years, we have witnessed that the global economic downturn has made our financial capacity become increasingly more constrained. This financial limitation makes it more challenging to allocate the necessary resources to critical areas for sustainable development. Additionally, facing the accelerating negative impacts of climate change, our country continues to struggle with limited technical capacity and complex climate finance options, making it difficult to navigate.
7. At the national level, we have already embarked on implementing the SDG Stimulus through our Financing Strategy for our 9^th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP). This Strategy, built on the Integrated National Financing Framework approach, identifies specific cross-government, and national priorities to optimize the utilization of all available resources to achieve our development goals. It incorporates the key macroeconomic reform recommendations from development partners, the UN country team, international financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders, which support the implementation of the National Agenda on addressing financial and economic difficulties. Pertaining to identifying means to finance and invest in the SDG implementation, recommendations suggest measures for raising tax revenue, strengthening the governance of investment decisions, and seeking a sustainable solution to better manage debt.

Mr. President,

8. Along with a framework in place, we still need additional support and cooperation from our development partners (and creditors) to implement prioritized actions, which include finding a sustainable solution to our economic and financial challenges that takes into account our specific context and needs and aligns with our national agenda and frameworks.
9. To conclude, the Lao PDR would like to take this opportunity to echo the call for the international community, especially those developed countries and development partners to fulfill their commitment necessary for supporting the developing countries in particular the LDCs and LLDCs to advance the SDG implementation and achieve this development objective together so that no one and no countries will be left behind.

Thank you for your attention!