Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
[Slide 01]
1. At the outset, on behalf of the Government of the Lao PDR, it is my great pleasure to present the Lao PDR’s 3rd Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
[Slide 02]
2. Our first report in 2018 gave an overview and highlighted the mainstreaming of relevant global goals into our development priorities. The second report in 2021 took a step forward moving from a descriptive to a trend analysis, showing progress across some sectors, but also revealed disparities in the SDG implementation, while the country was also in the midst of addressing the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Slide 03]
3. This year, the Lao PDR submits its third VNR report, which arrives at an important juncture, coinciding with the country’s mid-term review of the 9th NSEDP (2021-2025) and the Committee for Development Policy’s 2024 Triennial Review of the Lao PDR’s graduation from the Least Developed Countries status.
4. Following our second VNR momentum, this year report focuses on both Trend and Track Analysis, examining progress and status of all 17 SDGs and One National SDG18 on “Lives Safe from UXO”, while trying to make more in-depth analysis of 11 key selected SDGs, which are revolved around Six Transitions: Investment Pathways to Deliver the SDGs guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
5. The main context of the third report reflects our national planning cycle, the assessment of the national strategies, policies, plans and budgets in alignment with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Importantly, it also reflects the key focuses for the country to accelerate the implementation as part of the decade of action and its re-commitment made at the SDG Summit in September last year.
[Slide 04]
Distinguished Delegates,
6. Under the leadership and guidance of the National SDG Steering Committee, the National SDG Secretariat together with the SDG focal points from line ministries has prepared this VNR process in the principle of Leave No One Behind, and through series of consultations, dialogues and data collection with relevant stakeholders at different levels, including central, local authorities, UN agencies, development partners, civil society, private sector, youth and volunteer.
7. Notably, in the spirit of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, this year the Lao PDR also participated in series of peer-to-peer exchange with the Republic of Azerbaijan under the UN-ESCAP VNR Twining Programme, which provided us with valuable insight and learn more about different approaches to preparing the VNR, and more broadly on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
[Slide 05]
Distinguished Delegates,
8. The Lao PDR’s performance on SDGs is examined through the lens of the national monitoring framework, which comprise of 18 SDGs with total of 257 indicators. As of 2023, the Lao PDR has 172 national SDG indicators or around 73% with available data. Out of 172 indicators, there are 24 indicators or 14% are on-track; 43 indicators or 25% require acceleration and around 30 indicators or 17.4% are off-track while 75 indicators or 43,6% have insufficient data points.
[Slide 06]
9. Our report shows that in overall progress, none of the 18 SDGs have met the midpoints (2023) of the SDG national targets. This clearly indicates that we need greater effort across all areas of sustainable development.
10.There are Eleven SDGs that progressing at different speeds, showing positive movement towards their targets, and among those numbers, there are Two SDGs, namely SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) has been identified as good performers, as they seem to be closer to reaching the mid-point of the national targets.
11.While there are Two SDGs (SDG 16 and SDG 17) that are regressing, highlighting areas which require urgent attention and intervention. Moreover, Five SDGs with Insufficient data point, which we were unable to carry trend and track analysis.
[Slide 07]
Distinguished Delegates,
12. In connection, I wish to highlight the track-analysis of selected 11 SDGs in more detail as follows.
13. SDG1 on Poverty, the Lao PDR has made noteworthy progress in poverty eradication, with the proportion of persons (with consumptions) below that national poverty line falling. Multidimensional poverty, which measures deprivations beyond money metrics, also saw similar gains, and the number of families identified as poor, has shown a decline from 22.22% (2020) to 16.87% (2023).
14.Our report also shows that Lao PDR has made positive progress towards achieving SDG2 - zero hunger, with declining rates of undernourishment and stunting. However, food security and malnutrition remain pressing challenges, particularly in rural and remote areas.
[Slid 08]
15. Furthermore, while Lao PDR has made significant progress in improving health outcomes in SDG3 in recent years, with reductions in maternal mortality ratio, infant under-5 mortality and neonatal mortality rates, tuberculosis and malaria cases, and increased birth attendance by skilled health personnel, some challenges persist in achieving the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, especially there is a need to implement a comprehensive and integrated approach to strengthening the healthcare system.
16.In terms of SDG4 on Education, the Government’s education reforms and policy changes have helped improve the quality of education and enrolment in Lao PDR throughout the years. In particular, efforts to increase school enrolment have been effective in primary enrolment and there has been an improvement in education facilities and equal access to education across segments of population. However, quality of education remains a major concern and there is an urgent need to address some key challenges, including school dropout rate, the declining in the teacher workforce and student learning outcomes, to name a few.
[Slide 09]
17. On SDG5 - gender equality and empowerment has also seen promising progress over the years, including the formulation of legal frameworks that provide an overarching architecture for the effective implementation of advancement of women’s rights; the improved health care and service to serve the medical needs for women, and the better education attainment by women.
18.On SDG7 – Energy, the Lao PDR has made steady progress toward achieving affordable and clean energy, notably, household with access to electricity has increased up to 96.5%, and clean fuels and technology for cooking increased from 0.2% (2017) to 7.5% (2023). However, we still face significant challenges in energy, including limited access to electricity in rural areas, high energy costs, and the need for further investment in energy infrastructure and technology.
[Slide 10]
19. In terms SDG8 on growth, in recent year the Lao PDR has experienced slow growth rate from 8.0% to 5.5% between 2013 and 2019 due to emerging structural constraints which include, among others, infrastructure development, human capital, and macroeconomic management. The impact of COVID-19 further slowed down growth to 3.3% in 2020 with slightly increased to 3.7% (2023). Labor productivity grew significantly in recent years, but remains limited and without sufficient impact on the agriculture and fishery sectors, which account for about 70% of employed persons. Therefore, the Government of Lao PDR prioritizes on inclusive growth, investment in human capital, demographic transition and enhances social protection, among other.
20.In addition, the Lao PDR has made marginal progress in advancing SDG9 with notable improvements in transport infrastructure (particularly in rural areas) and regional connectivity. The majority of the rural populations now live in villages with all-weather road access. Regional transport linkages have improved connectivity to neighboring countries, leading to increased intraregional trade and tourism. The length and quality of the road infrastructure still needs improvement, especially in rural areas, while urban areas need better transport infrastructure and services.
[Slide 11]
21. In the area of environment, SDG13 - the Government of Lao PDR submitted its revised NDC including the net-zero goals, along with an unconditional emission reduction target of 60% and a conditional emissions reduction target of up to 70% by 2030. The country has strengthened mitigation measures in the forestry and energy sectors and applied gender equality perspectives while revising the NDC. The Government also focuses on a circular economy as a key instrument to pursue a low carbon development pathway.
22.On SDG17 - While the Lao PDR has made good progress in enhancing statistical capacity and ICT, the country still faces significant challenges in overcoming limitations in government revenue, debt sustainability, effective development cooperation, diversified development finance landscapes, and export growth. Addressing these challenges will require sustained efforts and innovative solutions to ensure sustainable development in the country.
[Slide 12]
23. Lastly, for the Lao PDR’s National SDG18: Lives Safe from UXO – There has been progress in clearance of UXO. From 1996 to 2024, more than 1.9 million UXO were found and destroyed from more than 80,000 hectares of land, making agricultural land safe for farmers and freeing up other areas for development. In terms of mine risk education, people in more than 4,000 villages were made aware of the dangers posed by UXO. From 2015 to 2023, assistance was provided to more than 2,000 people who were victims of UXO-related accidents.
24. However, despite these numbers, it is quite clear that the scale and impact of the UXO problem far exceeds the resources and capacities available to deal with it, particularly clearance capacity. Due to the vast extent of contamination and the complexities involved in clearance operations, progress has been slow and significant areas still unclear. Nevertheless, the Government has prioritized the strengthening of national capacity for coordination and efficiency, the development of management policy and procedure for mainstreaming UXO into relevant sector, as well as developing a comprehensive resource mobilization and fund-raising strategy and promoting innovation solutions, among others.
[Slide 13-14-15]
Distinguished Delegates,
25. Our data in the third report imply that while Lao PDR is making progress on a number of SDGs, significant challenges remain. The country urgently needs to accelerate efforts on the goals that are regressing, and improve data collection for the goals with insufficient information. Three key specific implications have emerged, specifically:
- One, Data Quality: The limited data availability suggests a need for improved data collection and reporting mechanisms to accurately track progress and inform decision-making,
- Two, Challenges in Progress: The far-reaching progress for the numbers of SDGs indicates that significant efforts and resources are required to bridge the gap between current status and the mid-point targets (2023), and
- Three, Monitoring and Evaluation: Enhancing data availability and quality for all SDGs is crucial for effective monitoring, evaluation, and decisionmaking to ensure that interventions are targeted and impactful.
Distinguished Delegates,
26.Through the process of the third VNR, we would like to emphasis on the way forwards that need greater efforts to address as follows:
• First, the strong national commitment and ownership remains a pinnacle in paving the national pathway toward green growth and sustainable development directory.
• Second, many SDGs are still lacking behind and face numerous challenges and obstacles. Therefore, we need transformative actions to address those regressing SDGs, especially, targeted interventions and investments that are crucial to get the country back on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030. This includes the need to strengthen capacity building and resilience in addressing challenges and overcome obstacles that hinder national development path.
• Third, greater prioritization and more integrated localization are crucial specifically SDG implementation must closely align with the national planning, LDC graduation and coherence with the current development trajectory.
• Fourth, putting people and community at the heart of sustainable development through enhancing engagement, inclusivity and participatory of local community is fundamental to ensure that no one is left behind.
• Fifth, partnership for the goals through the Whole-of-Government and Whole-ofSociety approaches, specifically strengthening public awareness for SDGs in ensuring greater support and collaboration are key essential for SDG realization.
• Last but not least, the support from development partners and international organizations remain fundamental. Development partners should honour their previous commitment and further enhance support in terms of financial resources, technical expertise, knowledge sharing, capacity building and technology transfer to ensure that no one and no country are left behind.
[Slide 16]
Distinguished Delegates,
27. In conclusion, with only six years remaining until the 2030, we need more than ever enhanced multilateral cooperation, global partnership and solidarity in order to realize the global agenda that we set to achieve together. In this regard, I would like to reaffirm the Lao PDR’s strong commitment to eradicate poverty and pursue the path of sustainable development and will continue to work closely with all partners in ensuring the progress of SDGs.
28.Taking this opportunity, I wish to sincerely thank the development partners and international organizations for their continued support and assistance that have, to a great extent, contributed to the development endeavor of our country over the past years. [Thank you]
