[Lao Translations Below]1. BackgroundIn 2025, Lao PDR will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its membership in the United Nations. This milestone presents an opportunity to reflect on Lao PDR’s contributions to and benefits from the UN, emphasizing themes of inclusiveness, development, and international cooperation. To mark this occasion, a commemorative logo will be designed to symbolize this historic partnership. To encourage youth participation and creativity, a logo design contest will be launched, inviting young artists and designers to contribute their vision. 2. ObjectivesTo engage Lao youth in the celebration of this milestone.To promote awareness of Lao PDR’s role in the UN.To create a unique, symbolic, and meaningful logo for official use during the 70th anniversary celebrations.To foster creative expression and national pride among participants.3. Eligibility CriteriaOpen to Lao youth aged 15-24 years.Individuals or teams (max 3 members) may participate.Participants must submit original artwork that aligns with the theme.4. Design GuidelinesThe design should visually represent the strong and cooperative relationship between Lao PDR and the United Nations, using elements that evoke the values of inclusivity, peace, collaboration, and development.It must not include the UN emblem, or any elements of it, such as the olive branches, cannot be or incorporated or integrated in any form into special logos or any of its variants, nor should the UN symbol be co-located with other national symbols (like flags or coats of arms) or altered in any way. The focus should be on abstract or thematic representations of international partnership, using colors and forms that reflect the spirit of harmony and progress.The logo should be scalable, and suitable for use across multiple platforms (digital, print, merchandise, etc.).Must not contain copyrighted materials.5. Submission RequirementsA high-resolution digital file (PNG, JPG, or vector format).A brief concept (max 200 words) explaining the design inspiration.Contact details of the designer(s).6. Selection ProcessUN Communications Group (UNCG) will assist with shortlisting.A panel of judges from the UN, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), will evaluate submissions based on appeal, creativity, relevance, and versatility (virtually).The winning design will be officially adopted and acknowledged by the UN Country Team for use on official documents, designs, email signatures, etc. until the end of the milestone year.7. Timeline & Milestone EventCall for Entries: 1 April 2025Submission Deadline: 17 April 2025Judging & Shortlisting: 21-25 April 2025Winner Announcement & Unveiling: 16 May 2025 (International Day of Living Together in Peace)8. Logo TimelineThe logo will be used in UN communication materials (digital and print) and merchandise for a limited period of time, tentatively between May 2025 through April 2026, or whenever officially retired by the UN in Lao PDR in consultation with the Government of Lao PDR.  1. ຄວາມເປັນມາ ໃນປີ 2025 ນີ້ ສປປ ລາວ ຈະສະເຫຼີມສະຫຼອງ ຄົບຮອບ 70 ປີ ຂອງການເຂົ້າເປັນສະມາຊິກ ອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ. ຂີດໝາຍດັ່ງກ່າວ ໄດ້ສະເໜີໃຫ້ເຫັນໂອກາດທີ່ຈະສະທ້ອນໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງການປະກອບສ່ວນຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ຜົນປະໂຫຍດຈາກ ສປຊ ໂດຍເນັ້ນໃສ່ຫົວຂໍ້ທີ່ກ່ຽວພັນກັບຄວາມສະເໝີພາບ, ການພັດທະນາ ແລະ ການຮ່ວມມືສາກົນ. ​ສະນັ້ນ, ​ເພື່ອເປັນການຈາລຶກໂອກາດດັ່ງກ່າວນີ້ ໂລ​ໂກ້​ທີ່​ລະນຶກ​ຈື່ງຈະ​ໄດ້​ຮັບ​ການ​ອອກ​ແບບຂຶ້ນ​ ເພື່ອ​ເປັນ​ສັນຍາ​ລັກ​ໃຫ້​ແກ່​ການ​ພົວພັນ​​ຮ່ວມ​ມືຄັ້ງປະຫວັດສາດ. ເພື່ອຊຸກຍູ້ການມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມຂອງໄວຫນຸ່ມ ແລະ ສົ່ງເສີມຄວາມຄິດສ້າງສັນ, ການປະກວດການອອກແບບໂລໂກ້ຈະຖືກເປີດຕົວ ເພື່ອເຊື້ອເຊີນນັກສິນລະປິນ ແລະ ນັກອອກແບບໄວຫນຸ່ມ ປະກອບສ່ວນເຂົ້າໃນການສະແດງວິໄສທັດຂອງພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າ.2. ຈຸດປະສົງ • ເພື່ອເປັນການປະກອບສ່ວນຂອງຊາວໜຸ່ມລາວ ເຂົ້າໃນການສະເຫຼີມສະຫຼອງວັນສຳຄັນນີ້. • ເພື່ອສົ່ງເສີມຄວາມຮັບຮູ້ກ່ຽວກັບບົດບາດຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ ໃນອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ. •ເພື່ອສ້າງໂລໂກ້ທີ່ເປັນເອກະລັກ, ເປັນສັນຍາລັກ ແລະ ມີຄວາມຫມາຍສໍາລັບການນໍາໃຊ້ຢ່າງເປັນທາງການໃນໄລຍະຂອງການສະເຫຼີມສະຫຼອງຄົບຮອບ 70 ປີ.• ເພື່ອສົ່ງເສີມການສະແດງອອກຢ່າງສ້າງສັນ ແລະ ຄວາມພາກພູມໃຈຂອງຊາດໃຫ້ກັບບັນດາຜູ້ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມ.3. ເງື່ອນໄຂການສະໝັກ • ຊາວໜຸ່ມລາວ ອາຍຸລະຫວ່າງ 15-24 ປີ. • ບຸກຄົນ ຫຼື ທີມ (ສະມາຊິກສູງສຸດ 3 ຄົນ) ສາມາດເຂົ້າຮ່ວມ. • ຜູ້ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມຕ້ອງສົ່ງຜົນງານທີ່ເປັນຕົ້ນສະບັບຂອງຕົນເອງໃຫ້ສອດຄ່ອງກັບຫົວຂໍ້.4. ແນວທາງການອອກແບບ• ການອອກແບບຄວນສະແດງໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງສາຍພົວພັນທີ່ເຂັ້ມແຂງ ແລະ ການຮ່ວມມືລະຫວ່າງ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ ໂດຍນໍາໃຊ້ອົງປະກອບທີ່ເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດຄຸນຄ່າຂອງການມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມ, ສັນຕິພາບ, ການຮ່ວມມື ແລະ ການພັດທະນາ.• ຕ້ອງບໍ່ນຳໃຊ້ສັນຍາລັກຂອງອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ ຫຼື ອົງປະກອບໃດໆຂອງສັນຍາລັກ ຍົກຕົວຢ່າງເຊັ່ນ: ກິ່ງງ່າໝາກກອກ ເຊິ່ງບໍ່ສາມາດນຳມາປະກອບ ຫຼື ລວມເຂົ້າກັນໃນຮູບແບບໃດໜຶ່ງໃນໂລໂກ້ທີ່ອອກແບບ ແລະ ສັນຍາລັກຂອງອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດບໍ່ຄວນຕັ້ງຢູ່ຮ່ວມກັບເຄື່ອງໝາຍແຫ່ງຊາດ (ເຊັ່ນ: ທຸງ ຫຼື ອົງປະກອບອື່ນ) ຫຼື ມີການປ່ຽນແປງໃນທາງໃດກໍ່ຕາມ.• ຄວນເນັ້ນໃສ່ການເປັນຕົວແທນທີ່ເປັນນາມມະທຳ ຫຼື ຫົວຂໍ້ຂອງການພົວພັນ ການເປັນຄູ່ຮ່ວມມືສາກົນ, ນຳໃຊ້ສີສັນ ແລະ ຮູບແບບທີ່ສະທ້ອນເຖິງຈິດໃຈຂອງຄວາມສາມັກຄີ ແລະ ຄວາມກ້າວໜ້າ.• ໂລໂກ້ຄວນສາມາດປັບຂະໜາດໄດ້ ແລະ ມີຄວາມສະດວກເໝາະສົມ ກັບການນໍາໃຊ້ໃນຫຼາຍແພລັດຟອມ (ດິຈິຕອນ, ການພິມ, ສິນຄ້າ, ແລະ ອື່ນໆ).• ຕ້ອງບໍ່ມີສ່ວນໃດທີ່ຕິດລິຂະສິດ.5. ເງື່ອນໄຂການຍື່ນ• ໄຟລ໌ດິຈິຕອລຄວາມລະອຽດສູງ (ຮູບແບບ PNG, JPG, ຫຼື vector).• ປະໂຫຍກ ຫຼື ບົດສະແດງເຖິງແນວຄວາມຄິດສັ້ນໆ (ສູງສຸດ 200 ຄໍາ) ເພື່ອອະທິບາຍເຖິງແຮງບັນດານໃຈໃນການອອກແບບ.• ລາຍລະອຽດຕິດຕໍ່ຂອງຜູ້ອອກແບບ.6. ຂະບວນການຄັດເລືອກ• ກຸ່ມສື່ສານຂອງອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ (UNCG-UN Communications Group) ຈະເປັນຜູ້ຄັດເລືອກເບື້ອງຕົ້ນ.• ຄະນະກຳມະການຈາກ ອົງການ ສປຊ ແລະ ຜູ້ຕາງຫນ້າຈາກກະຊວງການຕ່າງປະເທດ ແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ ຈະປະເມີນຜົນງານທີ່ຜ່ານການຄັດເລືອກເບື້ອງຕົ້ນ ໂດຍອີງໃສ່ຄວາມງາມ, ຄວາມຄິດສ້າງສັນ, ຄວາມກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ ແລະ ຄວາມສະດວກໃນການນຳໃຊ້ (ໃນຄວາມເປັນຈິງ).• ການອອກແບບໂລໂກ້ທີ່ຊະນະເລີດ ຈະໄດ້ຮັບການຮັບຮອງເອົາຢ່າງເປັນທາງການ ແລະ ຮັບຮູ້ໂດຍທີມງານປະຈຳປະເທດ ຂອງອົງການສະຫະປະຊາຊາດ ເພື່ອນໍາໃຊ້ໃນເອກະສານທາງການ, ການອອກແບບ, ລາຍເຊັນອີເມລ໌ ແລະ ການສື່ສານອື່ນໆ ຈົນກ່ວາເບີດກຳນົດຂອງຂີດການນຳໃຊ້.7. ໄລຍະເວລາ• ເປີດຮັບສະໝັກ: ວັນທີ 1 ເມສາ 2025• ກໍານົດເວລາສົ່ງ: 17 ເມສາ 2025• ຮອບຕັດສິນ ແລະ ຄັດເລືອກ: ວັນທີ 21-25 ເມສາ 2025• ປະກາດ ແລະ ເປີດເຜີຍຜູ້ຊະນະ: ວັນທີ 16 ພຶດສະພາ 2025 (ວັນສາກົນແຫ່ງການຢູ່ຮ່ວມກັນດ້ວຍສັນຕິພາບ)8. ໄລຍະເວລາການນໍາໃຊ້ໂລໂກ້• ໂລໂກ້ຈະຖືກນຳໃຊ້ເຂົ້າໃນການສື່ສານຂອງ ອົງການ ສປຊ (ດິຈິຕອລ ແລະ ພິມ) ແລະ ອຸປະກອນການໂຄສະນາ ໃນໄລຍະທີ່ຈຳກັດ ສະເພາະແຕ່ເດືອນພຶດສະພາ 2025 ຫາ ເມສາ 2026 ຫຼື ອີງຕາມກຳນົດທີ່ອົງການ ສປຊ ປະຈຳ ສປປ ລາວ ໄດ້ປຶກສາກັບລັດຖະບານ ສປປ ລາວ., filtered_html

United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres asked as he stopped by the Vanmai Coffee Cart in UN House during his recent visit to Lao PDR. As he took a sip from the cup of coffee he was offered, he learned about the remarkable journey that transformed Pheurp’s life. “There was a time when my family had to borrow money just to make ends meet,” Pheurp shared with the Secretary-General. “But now, thanks to the income from coffee farming, we’ve not only repaid those loans but also invested in a rice field tractor to enhance our productivity. We’re even able to save for my nieces’ and nephews’ education.” The coffee Pheurp proudly spoke of was grown by her and her fellow farmers in the remote, mountainous region of Houaphanh province. Once known for opium poppy cultivation, the region now focuses on building a brighter future through sustainable coffee farming. Smiling, she added, “Beyond growing a legal and sustainable crop, the UN’s support has given me the chance to learn new skills and become a leader in my community – something I never thought possible.”A significant milestone in working with Pheurp and her community has been the establishment of the Vanmai Coffee Cooperative, a farmer-owned organization that empowers its members to capture greater value from the coffee supply chain, ensuring that coffee remains viable and competitive alternative to opium.Once excluded from leadership positions, Pheurp is now at the forefront of initiatives such as the coffee cart. In 2021, a women’s network was formed to strengthen their role within the cooperative, and for women like Pheurp, this has been a turning point. Run entirely by women, managing the coffee cart has become a stepping stone, mirroring the decision-making responsibilities women are increasingly assuming within the cooperative’s governance structure. Through the network, Pheurp and her peers are not only gaining practical skills but also positioning themselves to take on more prominent roles in shaping decisions that impact their lives and the future of their communities.Growing coffee has reshaped Pheurp’s life in ways she could never have imagined.  The interaction took place during the Secretary-General’s visit to Lao PDR for the UN-ASEAN Summit. “It was fascinating to visit and see first-hand how UNODC’s project has made such positive change in the lives of the farmers in Houaphanh province,” Bakhodir Burkhanov, the UN Resident Coordinator to Lao PDR told the Secretary-General. This partnership is a win-win on so many fronts. It has not only shifted farmers from opium to coffee, but also significantly enhanced women's economic empowerment.The blog is written by Soutthida Soukthavone, National Programme Officer / Officer-in-Charge for Alternative Development, UNODC & Aksonethip Somvorachit, Communications and Advocacy Officer, UNRCO, filtered_html

But it wasn’t seen as a profitable profession in Laos. At least the earnings will never be enough to make ends meet. My parents were supportive, as long as I kept it as a hobby.About five years ago, a colleague told me that there was a young artist he planned to meet on his trip to Pakse (Champasak) who has done beautiful work. His name was Seevanh Sibounhueang (Vanh).I got very curious. Questions jumped around in my head: is he someone who is well off? How is it possible to have art as a profession in this market? All these thoughts kept spinning around in my head, as I recalled that I had to give up my passion of painting and find other passions to build a career of. So I was stunned to know that finding art was this young man’s map to finding a new life. Immediately, I searched for his name and have followed him on Facebook ever since.A couple of weeks ago, as my team was searching for creative ways to display the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) in our office building, we reached out to big names and famous artists in town. We needed something to be done urgently. I almost gave up. Luckily, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed for more options, I came across Vanh’s recent artwork and immediately called him.  Vanh who is 28 years old now, was born in Vientiane Capital before moving to Pakse to live with his wife and family. The third child in a family of eight, his life changed forever when he was a teenager. On one rainy evening, his father asked for his help to move a piece of metal above the roof. Unfortunately, while transporting the metal, the other end touched a run-down wire which badly electrocuted him. Vanh could have lost his life. It took him weeks before he could walk but the news that devastated him the most was that he would lose both his arms. He wasn’t ready. But there was no other choice as the tissues surrounding his arm had died. His parents took the decision to amputate his arms before it was too late.Suicide crossed his mind several times as he kept dwelling in the injustice he faced- from having had a full- functioning body, to eventually losing his arms over that accident. He was afraid and embarrassed to even get out of his house, “I wasn’t born with a disability, and I was scared to be seen. Will those eyes judge me? Will they look down on me? It was all in my head that the community wouldn’t accept me.”.“Despair. That’s all I can say about how I felt. But if I did end my life, if I felt I was a burden- my parents could have let me die that night. They didn’t have to save me,” shared Vanh. After months of trying to accept his reality, Vanh told himself that he should not stay sad forever, at least as a way to show his gratitude to his loved ones. Boredom soon took over as he stayed home all day, and Vanh started looking at art tutorials by Thai teachers on YouTube. Similar to Lao language, it was quite easy for him to understand Thai and learn. Soon, Vanh started picking up skills. Vanh had minimal equipment and began sketching. He used his foot in his first attempt to write and it wasn’t easy. After a while, he made his first stroke with a paint brush. Vanh practiced frequently and it got a bit simpler to control. Then, he tried to use the brush with his mouth. But this was very inconvenient as he found it difficult to see how accurate his movements were, as his head moved with each motion. At one point, Vanh got so annoyed that he searched around his home and asked his younger brother to get the rubber from their motorcycle tyres to make a wrap around his arm to which his brush could be attached. At least, this way it would be durable. After a lot of practice, he achieved precision and was able to wear the rubber set by himself. “I wanted to be a car mechanic. At least that was what I thought was my ambition before that night. But now that I am here looking back- wanting to be an artist was always in me,” Vanh said, smiling. He reminisced of how he would love to sketch pictures of cars and would have done anything to decorate cars. Vanh said since he didn’t have a car- why not just draw one instead?So how did he get on social media? Apparently, there was one programme to support business thinking and design supported by Maybank for persons with disabilities in Malaysia, back when he was getting back on his feet. Vanh was opened to tools and social media marketing which he tried to access as soon as he got back to Laos.Vanh attempted to add as many people as possible on his own Facebook account, by the name of Vanh likes drawing. He began with realistic art such as portraits and not long after, he received his first customer. A policewoman who saw how realistic his artwork was, approached Vanh to make a portrait of her. That was like a fire that sparked his soul. He didn’t know how to accept her payment and he thought 100,000 (LAK) (about US$5) was too expensive with his lack of experience. But she liked it so much that she paid more, so Vanh could buy more equipment to continue his work. For the first time, he felt hope again. Vanh sought options for how he can look for marketable art and he saw that in neighboring countries, there are customizable shoes, bags and t-shirts using acrylic paint, which he adores. He also really wanted to buy canvases and paint but did not have enough to purchase any.Soon, he resorted to stealing his little sister’s shoes and painted on them. He hid them from her, unsure if she would be angry for what he did. But thankfully, she liked it. And that, turned into his new product line. He continued to find new customers, showcased his work online to invite more people to his Facebook page. When I showed Vanh’s artwork to our team- they immediately said yes to having him work with us. We wanted to localize and come up with an SDG installation, with a Lao look and feel. We decided to go with the “Pha Khao”- a Lao-style seated round bamboo table on which each SDG would be painted. Vanh also liked the idea and got straight into work. Indeed, Vanh did not fail to produce another masterpiece. He was also inspired to use local products for his future work. He expressed his heartfelt appreciation to us for trusting him with this task. In the coming weeks, Vanh will be working to complete his first gallery and wishes to also ask for donations of used items like the Pha Khao and other locally- available items so he can upcycle them to showcase there.The gallery is a result of support from his friend who is also a person with disability and an art collector. After the official launch, Vanh wishes to send part of his revenue as his contribution to support the community of persons with disabilities. “I was very poor. I was lost, not knowing what to do or where to go. But with the support from our community, I have got to where I am today,” Vanh further added, “I want to make sure that I can give back as much as I can, so we can all have an easier tomorrow”. And that was our very first in-person encounter with Vanh, the artist who paints hope with every stroke of his brush, especially in our hearts.The blog is written by Aksonethip Somvorachit, Associate Development Coordination Officer, Communications and Advocacy, UN Resident Coordinator's Office, Lao PDR. , filtered_html

“Building Climate-Resilient and Eco-friendly Agriculture Systems and Livelihoods” (Climate REAL) is a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with financial support from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) as part of KOICA’s Integrated Programme for Climate Resilience and Empowerment in Attapeu Province, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.Five beneficiaries share the positive changes experienced from participating in the project.As the newly harvested rice is being processed in the rice sorter, Khammoun Heuangsouvantha remarks on the noticeable change in the quality and quantity of the rice he can produce. The 58-year-old has been farming rice all his life – starting at a young age helping his parents in the fields – but this is the first season that he has seen such good yields. For decades, Khammoun had only experienced low yields, and providing for his family of six had become increasingly more difficult. Crop production was affected by multiple factors including threats imposed by climate change, natural disasters, pests and diseases. Farmers in the community had few resources or strategies to respond to these problems and relied on traditional practices. “With all the effort I put in, I only ever got low output. If I put in less effort, I got even lower yields.” February 2023 was the start of a new venture for Khammoun. Because of his passion for rice farming and enthusiasm for new knowledge and skills to improve crop production, he was nominated by local government authorities to participate in the Climate REAL project activities. Initial engagement with the project included weekly trainings of season-long Farmer Field School on rice seed production and study visits to well-established and successful farmers in Savannakhet and Champasak Provinces. Khammoun learned quickly and was able to remember by heart the ingredients and proportions of botanical pesticides from locally available materials and specific techniques for rice planting procedures as well as pest and disease management. He could also provide the rationale behind the techniques.   “I admit that I did not know about which fertilizer was for rice crops, the role of fertilizer for rice at each growth stage, which formula to use when and by how much in relation to the rice growth stage and size of paddy field until I joined the project. Now, I know that each formula contains different nutrient needs for rice crop development at each growth stage. Through learning by doing, l also learned that the level of fertilizer application depends on the rice growth stage and size of the rice field as well as soil fertility.”From joining the project, Khammoun now knows how to deal with, prevent and manage rice insects and disease such as planthoppers and seed-borne disease. He also fully recognizes how much the proper application of fertilizer contributes to the rice yield.One of the most significant lessons was the importance of seed selection to improve the quality of the yields. Techniques on seed selection need to be performed every rice planting season to reduce any potential seed-borne diseases, which can cause severe problems in the rice cultivation process.  Within a few months, Khammoun was able to put his learning into practice with good results. He received 9kg of RD2 rice seeds from the project to produce RD3 rice seeds in the rainy/rice-growing season from June to November 2023 and decided to conduct an experiment. He would compare the results of using traditional practices and project intervention techniques with the rice seeds given by the project against his own. He applied what he had learned in the Farmer Field School on RD3 rice seed production, and used traditional practices as a control field. He observed a big difference between the two. He was delighted to report that rice grown with techniques and quality seeds introduced by the project produced bigger and greener leaves and plumper rice ears.Not only was the quality better, but the project intervention techniques also resulted in greater volume. The 9kg of RD2 rice seeds from a reliable source produced 480 kg of RD3 rice seeds which, at LAK 12 000 per kilo, could sell for approximately LAK 6 million. Conversely, his own traditional rice variety and technique yielded lower outputs and could only fetch a price of LAK 7 000 per kilo. This is the first time that Khammoun has been involved with projects such as Climate REAL and, while initial investments were high, the results have been amazing. He and others in farmer groups in the area are grateful to the project for investing in the rice sorting machine, which reduces the cost of processing the quality rice seed with potential market access. This initial investment gave direct beneficiaries the confidence to financially engage with project activities and also showed the potential for their own investment in the future. Because of his great results, Khammoun has been invited to join many workshops, meetings and events. He has gone on to share his knowledge with his family and the wider community, including local farmers who have not yet participated in the project directly and with other target districts of the project.Hopes are high for the rice farming communities of Attapeu Province. Apart from planning and preparing for the next rice growing season, Khammoun has also started to make plans for his grandson’s future. He personally believes that there is no end to the learning and enrichment and that local farmers can benefit from continued support. It is hoped that in the next 5 to 10 years, villagers will be able to produce enough rice not only for their own families but also for sale. The potential to start a small agribusiness and gradually improve living conditions would be within reach. , filtered_html