ILO and UNICEF organise Social Protection Seminar and Field Visit for the National Assembly

Vientiane, September 16 – From 5-16 September 2022, newly appointed members of the National Assembly and Provincial People’s Assemblies of Lao PDR participated in seminars to strengthen capacities and broaden understanding of social protection policymaking and financing. The seminars were followed by a three-day field visit to the pilot programme, Mother and Early Childhood Grant, in Sanamxay and Phouvong districts, Attapeu province.

The seminar encompassed concepts and principles related to design and financing of social protection, good practices and innovations from ASEAN and developing countries on expanding coverage, the policy and legislative framework in Lao PDR, the development of the Korean social protection system and its role in previous crises, as well as the design and implementation of the pilot Mother and Early Childhood Grant in southern Lao PDR.

Madam Thoummaly Vongphachan, President of Social and Cultural Affairs Committee, National Assembly stated in her opening remarks,

“This seminar is very important for the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly members from the Social and Cultural Affairs Committee and its Secretariat. It will help to strengthen the legislative, oversight, representational and monitoring capacities for the current five-year mandate. It will also contribute to our role in the development and amendment of laws in the labour and social welfare as well as health sectors, particularly the amendment of the Law on Social Security and Law on National Health Insurance and the development of the Law on Social Welfare during the upcoming Congress session in 2024.”

“In times of crisis, when a particular set of conditions is met, cash in the hands of the poorest members of society provided through state systems can ensure that they continue to spend money on their basic needs, a measure that also supports local and national economies. Allocating domestic resources to social protection programmes, such as non-contributory cash transfers, can help to ensure that such programmes are sustainable, as opposed to a donor-focussed, project-based approach”, noted Ms. Sara Sekkenes, UN Resident Coordinator in Lao PDR.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, ILO and UNICEF. It was co-funded by the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme “Supporting the Implementation of Sustainable Social Protection Floors for Workers and their Families in ASEAN — Phase III” and the Government of Australia through the UN Joint Programme “Leaving no one behind: Establishing the basis for social protection floors in Lao PDR”.

Mr. Sunggil Son, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme who was a resource person at the seminar said,

“This is a very meaningful opportunity for me. I hope that the discussions will further develop and strengthen the social protection system in Lao PDR. The ILO/Korea Partnership Programme 2021–2023 will continue to support Lao PDR in close collaboration with the tripartite constituents, the National Assembly and the Provincial People’s Assemblies in Lao PDR.”

After the three seminars for the northern, central and southern regions, Members from the National Assembly and southern People’s Assemblies visited the pilot programme, Mother and Early Childhood Grant in Sanamxay and Phouvong districts. They were accompanied by a team from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, ILO, UNICEF and the Australian Embassy. They spoke to mothers who have benefitted, thus witnessing the real impact of social welfare.

Ms. Anna Dyason, First Secretary, Education and Governance at the Embassy of Australia in Lao PDR declared,

“The MECG promotes better outcomes in nutrition and livelihoods. Even with the challenges in project implementation, the impact of this programme is significant. Many women and children have received the payment and I thank all the government stakeholders on fulfilling these difficult tasks. I also wish to recommend that the government allocate more funding to child grants.”

The field visit was welcomed by Mr. Bounseuth Sethirath, Vice Governor of Attapeu province who made an extensive report on the MECG implementation, stating,

“From June 2021, the project has provided payments to 1,340 mothers in 46 villages of Sanamxay district and 15 villages of Phouvong district. Some mothers live far away and cannot leave their farms to collect the money in the rainy season. We will continue to monitor pending payments to them. Ultimately, this programme is very important to improve nutrition in rural areas and make people seek health services more.”

For more information, please contact Ms. Loveleen De, Program Manager, ILO: del@ilo.org or Ms. Maryam Abdu, Chief of Social Policy, UNICEF: mabdu@unicef.org.