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$) 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. 

“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. 

“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 PDR.Five beneficiaries share the positive changes experienced from participating in the project.Securing a better future for his children is what inspires Mr. La Xayyavieng to work hard and continue to find ways to earn a stable income from the land. For the 46-year-old father of three, his great passion is clear in his determination for his children to gain knowledge and experience abroad to bring back to the family land. “Deep in my heart, I have always known that agriculture is the lifeline for us to survive and to grow. Even though the family has experienced hardship, I have been determined to send two of my kids to Vietnam to learn agricultural know-how and best practices. Upon their return, I expected big improvements to my land.” However, it is Mr. La himself who is already creating change. After being selected under the Climate REAL project as one of the beneficiaries from Phok Village, Saysettha District, Mr. La has transformed his agricultural practices and has been able to increase his income by 160% in just one season.For years, Mr. La’s total income was less than LAK 30 million per year – barely enough to satisfy the basic needs of the family. Lack of access to alternative technologies and knowledge limited Mr. La to traditional practices, with the main sources of income coming from rain-fed rice farming and planting vegetables during the dry season. This meant that making a living during the rainy season was difficult. Growing vegetables was not an option at all as the vegetables would rot and the crop would be destroyed. Through project interventions, successful vegetable farming in both the rainy season and dry season is now a reality. It was during learning and knowledge exchange visits to Savannakhet and Champasak Provinces, that Mr. La realized what the future could hold. “I knew from the bottom of my heart that greenhouses would work for me as soon as I saw them and understood what they were,” he explained. For the greenhouse to be a success, Mr. La would further develop his skills through Farmer Field School training and would receive agricultural inputs to get started. A key part of the skills development was Agribusiness Training, which provided Mr. La with essential knowledge on understanding market needs, business operations and analysis. From the first rainy season crop, Mr. La reported that he was able to earn nearly as much in just four months as he would previously earn in a whole year.In addition to the vegetable seeds for the rainy season, the Climate REAL project also supplied watermelon, cucumber and corn seeds for Mr. La to experiment with during the dry season. These proved to be a huge success, with Mr. La seeing a return-on-investment of up to 900% for watermelon. The solar-powered small-scale irrigation system has been a key factor in increased profits as Mr. La does not have to cover the cost of electricity to irrigate. “Only 75 days of work and I earned a income of LAK 38.5 million from selling watermelon and LAK 2.65 million from selling cucumber. Where else I could earn such money from what I am passionate about?”The Climate REAL project has identified Mr. La as a model farmer as he builds his skills and knowledge from this project in addition to others conducted in the district prior to Climate REAL interventions. Farmers in Phok Village – especially members of Mr. La’s production group – are already seeking his advice for the coming planting seasons. The plan is to grow tomatoes, spring onion, lettuce and coriander, as the demand and prices are high.To pave the way for his children, Mr. La has also already started to transfer his knowledge and know-how to his youngest son, who is now 17 years old and studying at secondary school in the district. For Mr. La, the future is looking brighter.    

As is the case in so many parts of the world, Lao PDR is highly exposed to rapidly increasing climate and disaster risks. These risks have enormous and varied implications, including frequent floods threatening 39.7% of the population1, and droughts disrupting livelihoods of more than 50% of workers in the agricultural sector2. But the availability of sufficiently detailed climate risk vulnerability data covering all 18 provinces and 148 districts remains a major challenge, substantially limiting ability to plan and prepare.In response to this clear and pressing need, in 2024 six UN agencies working in Lao PDR prioritised plans for climate risk vulnerability assessments (CRVAs) to help close this data gap.So far, so familiar.However, what is different about 2024 is that under the new generation Cooperation Framework, increasingly integrated joint workplanning processes have been put in place and are starting to drive changes in how the UN plans as system, rather than only as separate entities.And it was during this joint planning, in particular the discussions in the Results Group on “Environment, Climate Change and Resilience” (co-chaired by FAO and UNEP), that the connections between the different initiatives planned first became apparent across agencies.And with this early identification of plans, came the ability to take early action to coordinate.Crucially, identifying this common priority at this stage- before any of the work actually started- enabled agencies involved to better coordinate their assessments for greater overall coherence and efficiency, while reducing the burden on key Government counterparts.Whilst there were similarities between the different initiatives, each of the planned CRVA’s was distinct, prioritising different issues in line with agencies’ respective mandates (e.g., risks to different sectors, or segments of the population). By recognising this, we could set about working to minimize overlaps and maximise the novel contribution of each to improve the quality and quantity of information available to decision makers.Following a discussion on this initially within the UN Country Team, and later including Government counterparts during a Joint Steering Committee meeting, the discussion related to CRVAs has now shifted to technical level.Relevant agencies’ focal points are exploring ways to harmonise data collected from the different studies, and to empower the Government as the coordinating owner of data generated. Different options for a shared public-facing CRVA data platform are being explored, and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Group (MELG) is engaging on how the data can be most effectively shared and used.So what can we learn from this?Joint workplanning exercises can often be met with a degree of scepticism about whether the time investment is really worth it, beyond the detailed planning that individual entities already do.But without this joint workplanning process, each agency would not have been aware of potential connections between their CRVA plans, and we could have been left with -at best- an after-the-fact attempt to reconcile and integrate conclusions.Instead, we are seeing increasing evidence of how these substantive annual discussions and joint prioritisation exercises can increase coherence and overall impact of programmes, reduce the burden on key Government institutions through more concentrated and effective partnerships.But we also believe that we can go further.While the 2024 joint work planning process helped identify common priorities around which collaboration is being strengthened, agencies’ projects and programmes for the year were largely agreed upon already internally to each agency, and with respective donors, when joint workplan discussions took place, limiting the scope for in-depth revisions of agencies’ plans.Tackling the next frontier, the UNCT in Lao PDR is now considering revising its annual planning cycle. While individual agency planning is currently undertaken prior to country-level JWPs, the new vision for the UNCT planning cycle in Lao PDR would include initiating joint workplanning earlier so to take place in parallel with and informing agencies’ respective planning processes. This proposal will be discussed in detail at a UNCT retreat later this year.Through the reformed approaches to UN programming under the Cooperation Framework, we are already seeing how systems are being put in place to identify, discuss, and act on information as a UN country team much faster.But as the reform beds in, there is so much more we can do.