Remarks at the Lao PDR-UN High-Level Joint Steering Committee Meeting

Ms. Sara Sekkenes

UN Resident Coordinator to Lao PDR

[Opening Remarks]

Excellency Mr. Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Distinguished Government Representatives,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning,

It is a pleasure for me to join H.E. the Vice Minister in welcoming you to what will be my final High-Level Joint Steering Committee as UN Resident Coordinator to Lao PDR.

In 2023, we are half-way to the 2030 deadline for the achievement of the SDGs.

But globally, with the shocks from COVID-19, the reverberating effects of the conflict in Ukraine, and climate-induced disasters, it is clear that we are far off-track.

The advance, unedited version of the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report shows that only 12% of SDG targets are on track, and more than half are either moderately or severely off-track.[1]

If we continue on current trends, 575 million people will still be living in poverty in 2030, unable to access safe water, adequate shelter, enough nutrition, health and education.

It will take an estimated 286 years to close gender gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws.

So, with that in mind, in September the President of the UN General Assembly will convene a critical SDG Summit to respond to these urgent challenges.

In the words of UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, we need a rescue plan for the SDGs.

At the same time, here in Lao PDR, we are now half-way through the 9th NSEDP and the second year of implementation under our joint Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

This first framework since the reform of the UN development system aims to drive more integrated and effective support from the UN to the achievement of the SDGs and national priorities set out in the 9th NSEDP.

It brings together all the work of 25 UN agencies, funds, and programmes into one coherent framework, giving strategic oversight of where, how, and with whom we are working.

All with the aim of making us more effective, and supporting accelerated progress.

These are new ways of working for all of us, and in these early years, challenges are to be expected.

So, as we move through implementation, we are counting on this Committee to guide us on how we can best make sure that the potential of these reforms are being achieved in line with the Government’s priorities. During my farewell calls, many ministers have expressed appreciation for this more coherent and integrated approach that more effectively address the many multidimensional development challenges of today, and more efficiently can channel UN support to capacity constrained teams in the government and civil society.  

Of course, discussions and consultations with individual UN entities continue in line with their specialised mandates and work implementing components under the Cooperation Framework through the operationalisation within entity specific  programming documents and projects.

But this Joint Steering Committee plays a vital oversight role as the most senior body governing the totality of the UN’s work in Lao PDR.

The decisions and directions coming from this Committee will cascade through the work of all the parts of the UN providing support to the country.

We therefore have a very important role to play, and important agenda items to discuss.

Having completed our first full year of implementing the Cooperation Framework, this will include a review of the 2022 Annual Results Report.

A draft of this report was discussed at the technical-level Joint Steering Committee in March, and we are pleased to be able to share the final version in hard copy today.

We will also discuss priorities for support in 2023 from our integrated Joint Work Plan, which again were presented in draft form at the technical-level meeting earlier this year.

And, recognising that we are already half-way through the year, we will also take the opportunity to provide some brief highlights of achievements so far in 2023.

These agenda items will be covered in four brief presentations by representatives of the leads from our four Results Groups under the Cooperation Framework: People’s Wellbeing; Inclusive Prosperity; Governance and Rule of Law; and Environment, Climate Change, and Resilience.

Each is speaking on behalf of the group of UN agencies, funds, and programmes working together towards the achievement of the agreed joint outcomes.

As we move towards the SDG Summit in September, we will also take the opportunity of the Joint Steering Committee Meeting to discuss the approach and what can be done to accelerate progress toward the achievement of the SDGs here in Lao PDR.

As you are all well aware, much work has gone into preparing plans and strategies to achieve development goals over the past years, which gives us a very solid basis for practically thinking about what is needed for this.

This agenda item will be led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will also include a short presentation from colleagues at ESCAP supporting on SDG data reporting in preparation for both the SDG Summit, and in anticipation of the Voluntary National Review planned for 2024.

So, taking all of this together, this meeting comes at a key moment both in terms of reflecting on progress and how our new ways of working are playing out under the Cooperation Framework, and looking ahead to how we can best address the challenges we confront.

With this, let me again thank you all for joining this morning, and make way for our first substantive agenda item- the presentation from the Results Group leads.

Thank you.

[1] SDG Progress Report Special Edition_1_0.pdf (un.org)

[Closing Remarks]

Excellency Mr. Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Distinguished Government Representatives,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you again for taking the time to join this High-Level Joint Steering Committee meeting.

As I noted in my opening remarks, we have a crucial role to play in steering the support provided by the UN country team to best support national priorities, and this is all the more important in the context of all the challenges we face in trying to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs.

In the role of JSC members, we carry important responsibilities and have over the course of the morning addressed a number of key issues.

Firstly, on the implementation of our Cooperation Framework and our joint efforts to deliver more integrated and effective support following the UN reform.

It is clear that much important work is underway, and heartening to see a regular integrated programming cycle starting to take shape, whereby we are able to regularly report on both progress and further plans to our key government counterparts.

We count on continued engagement with and feedback on these processes, in particular from our government counterparts, on how these processes can be strengthened and improved over time.

Ultimately, deepening this partnership and enhancing our ability to jointly discuss integrated challenges and responses that cut across the work of different ministries and UN agencies will be critical to determining what we are able to achieve.

Secondly, turning to SDG Reporting and preparations for the upcoming SDG Summit.

Having invested considerable time and effort over the past years to developing well-consulted, integrated, and prioritised plans to tackle key development issues, Lao PDR is already in a strong starting position in preparing for the summit.

This includes work on the development of the Resilience Framework that evolved from the response to COVID-19, developing the Financing Strategy for the 9th NSEDP, and the ongoing work to develop the Smooth Transition Strategy for LDC graduation.

Within these cross-cutting frameworks, in addition to sector plans and priorities, the key elements necessary to accelerate progress towards the SDGs have already been agreed.

The SDG Summit therefore presents a valuable opportunity to leverage these frameworks and galvanise support towards implementation.

The discussion today and the feedback received has all been duly noted, and will be used to steer the work of the UN in Lao PDR going forward.

Whilst we still have a long journey ahead to the achievement of the SDGs, the goals of the 9th NSEDP, and the outcomes set out in the Cooperation Framework, I hope today serves to demonstrate that each time we meet we can hope to have made a meaningful step forward.

Before handing the final word to H.E. the Vice Minister to close the meeting, on a personal note as this will be my final JSC in Lao PDR, let me also take this opportunity to thank everybody here both for their participation today, and their support throughout my time as Resident Coordinator here.

It has been a privilege to work with you all,

Thank you.