Remarks at Cross of Friendship Medal Award Ceremony

Ms. Sara Sekkenes

UN Resident Coordinator to Lao PDR

Your Excellency, Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and I hope I can say after our many years working together- dear friend,

all distinguished present,

all protocols observed

It has been a privilege and an honour to work with Lao PDR over the past nearly 4 ½ years as Resident Coordinator.

Although of course, as many of you well know, my partnership with the country goes back much further than that, and I will always carry with me the memories of our work together from the very earliest days of developing the global Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Over my time based here in Vientiane, I have been fortunate to be able to take that relationship to new levels and in new directions, and to work closely with many more colleagues from across Government on many crucial areas, including:

• The Resilience Framework approved earlier this year, which grew out of the UNs collective support in the response to COVID-19 and recalibration of the 9th NSEDP as the pandemic rolled out in full force, and now updated in good collaboration with the Development Research Institute at MPI and the Macroeconomic Research Institute at the Lao Academy of Socio-Economic Studies, to reflect the need to be better prepared to also respond to subsequent and future shocks and challenges.
• The Smooth Transition Strategy paving the way for a successful – smooth, sustainable, and quality- graduation from LDC status, so ably led by MoFA colleagues, working across the ministries to ensure that Lao PDR is well prepared and optimally positioned when the time comes!
• And, as witnessed earlier today, the Financing Strategy of the 9th NSEDP, as a key document endorsed at highest level – and so capably led through its inter-ministerial development by H.E. Minister Khamjane Vongphosy, and his planning team, led by H.E. Mme. Phonevanh Outhavong Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment - to support the country in tackling pressing economic and financial challenges and accelerating progress toward national development priorities and our shared global development goals.

And throughout the years, we have worked together to carry forward both the letter and- even more importantly, the spirit- of reform, both of the UN development system to deliver more effective UN support to the country, and in support of reforming the national development planning itself, in Lao PDR.

This is most clearly seen in the many examples I just mentioned and as anchored in the Lao PDR-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, which we developed together and co-signed in 2021 – and now in its second year of implementation is well up and running. As we heard at the Joint Steering Committee earlier this week, this is already starting to deliver important improvements in the coordination and coherence of our collective work.

We have also broken new ground on human rights – with the excellent collaboration with the Department of Treaties and Laws and relevant institutions addressing the needs and rights of critical target groups including children, disabled people, and women - on gender equality and women’s empowerment through the international human rights mechanisms and Lao’s first Plan of Action taking forward the recommendations of peers in the Universal Periodic Review.

Looking ahead, I am grateful for your commitment to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, using the National Socio-economic Development Plan as the national platform translating this universal blueprint into action on the ground.

Handing over to my successor, after working through the establishment of a first iteration of the new generation of UN country teams, it is with confidence that I can say that the UN in Lao PDR stands better prepared and ready to support the Government of Lao in its development journey, also as it moves towards ASEAN chairmanship next year.  

I will always be proud of what we have achieved together, and thankful for our partnership, and I am most honoured and grateful that the Government of Lao PDR has decided to award me the Cross of Friendship Medal in recognition of my contributions to the socio-economic development of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and which I will gladly accepted on behalf of the UN and its team in Lao PDR.

That gratitude extents also to the team at DIO that we have worked so closely with as the main counterpart to the UN RCO, under the leadership of DG Daovy and previously DG Maythong, and DG Anouparb before that, and the many professionals you have mentored since you yourself, your excellency held that post.

As I mentioned at the farewell reception the other night, there is no limit to what Lao can achieve and how far its people can go when they can count on our joint support.

I am forever grateful.