Statement by
Ms. Vilayluck Seneduangdeth, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative
at the Sixth Committee of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Agenda item 86: “Rule of Law at the National and International Levels”
New York, 08 October 2021
Madam Chairperson,
At the outset, my delegation wishes to extend our sincere congratulations to you and all members of the bureau on your election to the 6th Committee.
My delegation aligns itself with the statements delivered by the distinguished representatives of Cambodia and the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement respectively.
My delegation takes note with appreciation of the Secretary-General’s report in document A/76/235 and expresses our sincere thanks for the support extended to the Lao PDR by relevant UN agencies in promotion of the rule of law activities at national level. We also take note on his suggestion to consider a sub-topic on “promoting a people-centered rule of law at the national and international level as the foundation of our common agenda” for the seventy-sixth session.
Madam Chairperson,
My delegation is of the view that the promotion of rule of law at the national and international levels is of great importance as it contributes to maintaining peace and security, which form fundamental condition for advancing sustainable development. It is also important to provide and guarantee an equal access to justice for all people and to build effective and accountable institutions at all levels. In this context, the promotion and development of the international instruments, norms, standards and rules should be deliberated base on the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international law.
The activities that relevant UN agencies have been carried out have proved to be beneficial, especially by focusing on strengthening the appropriate capacity to promote the rule of law at the national level and to pave the way for the effective implementation of the SDGs, particularly SDG-16. Therefore, all member states in particularly, the least developed countries should be given particular attention to and continued support must be guaranteed especially in the area of enhancing human resource capacity to implement their national strategies and plans in-line with relevant international conventions.
Madam Chairperson,
At national level, the Lao PDR has upheld its firm commitment to build a rule of law state and promote good governance. In this connection, utmost efforts had been deployed in the implementation of 5-year Legal Sector Master Plan (LSMP) from 2016-2020. The LSMP emphasizes on the key objectives namely improving justice sector, promoting good governance, public administration, and strengthening anti-corruption authority. In this context, significant achievements have been made especially in the area of strengthening justice sector, the adoption of the Penal Code and the Law on Treaty and several amendments on existing national laws, among others. In March this year, the National Assembly approved 5-year Action Plan for 2021-2025 on developing and amending additional legal instruments.
To allow the people an easy access to information and participation in the drafting process of national laws, a local platform called “Lao Law Application” have been developed for both IOS and Android for the general public to provide comments virtually. In addition, to encourage people’s participation and representation, the National Assembly has continued to provide necessary tool such as hotline and other means during the assembly session.
On the judicial development, Law related to the work of the Courts and Prosecutor’s Offices have also been amended and the capacity of judges and prosecutors have been regularly upgraded. To further promote and provide better access to the justice for the people, the Government has issued Decree on Legal Aid and Decree on Legal Aid fund for the disadvantaged people. At present, the Legal Aid Offices have expanded across the country. Moreover, the Administrative Chamber of Court has been established since April 2021, which will guarantee the rights and benefits for all people and further contribute to strengthening rule of Law.
To continue promoting good governance and public administration, the Government has focused on improving and modernizing its public administration through development of Personnel Information Management System and e-database for public servants and national citizens aiming at ensuring accurate and reliable statistics and data system are made available.
On prevention and anti-corruption, the Lao PDR has continued to implement Plan of Action on Prevention and Anti-corruption 2016-2025 which has been incorporated into the current 9th five-year National Social Economic Development Plan.
Madam Chairperson,
To conclude, my delegation wishes to reaffirm the Lao PDR’s commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in particular the SDGs 16 and stands ready to cooperate and work closely with all member states, international organizations and all stakeholders to realize this objective.
Thank you.
