Madam President,
Madam Deputy Secretary-General,
Excellencies,

On behalf of the Lao PDR, we extend our appreciation to the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP for the comprehensive briefing and for sharing emerging recommendations.

While GDP remains a central measure of economic activity, it does not fully capture well-being, environmental sustainability, or institutional quality. Complementary indicators provide crucial insights to guide evidence-based policy, support inclusive and sustainable development, and strengthen national planning processes.

At the national level, Lao PDR compiles indicators on poverty, health, education, employment, gender equality, SDGs, and selected environmental measures such as forest coverage and natural resource management. Efforts are also ongoing to enhance human capital, social protection, and data disaggregation, ensuring that statistical outputs are relevant and reflect the diversity of the population.

We recognize that advancing measurement frameworks for multidimensional well-being, inequality, climate change, governance, and resilience requires attention to statistical capacity, methodological coherence, and data quality. We support key recognition, however, Global recommendations should remain flexible, country-led, and adaptable to national contexts, while building on existing international frameworks, including the SDGs and the System of National Accounts.

The Lao PDR appreciates and supports the work of the High-Level Expert Group as an important contribution to the ongoing dialogue on Beyond GDP. Continued technical cooperation, methodological guidance, and capacity support will be essential to ensure that statistics effectively inform policy, planning, and inclusive development today and in the future.

I thank you for your attention!