Remarks at National Conference on Population and Development

23-24 October 2023

Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Your Excellency Prof. Dr. Kikeo Khaikhamphithoune, Deputy Prime Minister

Excellencies, representatives of line ministries and organizations

Ambassadors, development partner colleagues

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Sabaidee and greetings to you all!

It is an honor for me to be part of this important event and express United Nation’s commitment and continued support to the Government and people of Lao PDR in their efforts to mobilize partnerships, investments and the means of implementation for SDGs.

First, I would like to appreciate the organizers of this important event, namely the Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNFPA. My appreciation also goes to UNDP, UNICEF and other development partners for their collaboration and substantive contributions to this conference.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Just last month, world leaders gathered for the SDG Summit to take stock of the mid-term progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Lao delegation made substantive contributions at the Summit to advance the implementation of the SDGs through national strategies, and called for global solutions that are transformative, practical and context-specific to enable countries – and indeed the entire world – to get back on track to meet the goals.

As Lao PDR is expected to graduate from “least developed country” status by 2026, it would require a combination of meaningful policies and their steadfast implementation by the Government, backed by the continued collective support of all development partners, in order to rise to the promise of the SDGs.

This conference is a fitting opportunity to jointly deliberate practical and sustainable development solutions with a special consideration for population dynamics, gender equality, women’s and youth empowerment, as well advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Taking this opportunity, I want to congratulate the Government on adopting a comprehensive Financing Strategy for the Ninth National Socio-Economic Development Plan. It is a truly remarkable framework that must govern investment decisions and identify means to invest in the SDGs. Lao PDR’s leadership is commendable in adopting progressive policies and strategic frameworks, namely the National Population and Development Policy (2019-2030), National Youth and Adolescent Policy (2021-2030), Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health Strategy, and National Action Plan for Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women (2021-2026).

These policies recognize connections between population dynamics, gender equality, youth empowerment, and sexual and reproductive health, and support core SDG commitments, especially Goals 1 (on eliminating poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 3 (good health and wellbeing), 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 10 (reduced inequalities). They also show Government’s commitment to place the ICPD Programme of Action at the heart of its sustainable development agenda. All policies are only as good as their implementation, and today’s event is an opportunity to take stock and re-focus our individual and collective efforts against the goal of making a difference to the lives of people on the ground.

Laos is now experiencing a demographic window of opportunity, which is time-bound and might not re-occur in the history of the country again. This phenomenon happens when a household has fewer children than it could take care of, and a larger number of family members who have decent jobs, hence the household can save up and invest. When this occurs on a large scale, economies can benefit from a boost in economic growth and development.

During the mid to late 20th century demographic windows in Asia (e.g. Malaysia and Singapore), GDPs increased significantly, contributing to the so called Asian economic miracle. Not coincidentally, these moments in Asia were accompanied by a substantial increase in female labor force participation.

Excellencies, colleagues and friends,

In all that we do, it is important to recognize people beyond mere numbers and statistical trends. Taking a human rights-based approach – seeing the individuals, their needs and potential – is a fundamental part of harnessing the potential demographic dividend.

The expected contribution of this conference to the mid-term review of the Ninth NSEDP is an opportunity for the Government and its partners for co-creation, for producing evidence-based solutions to address the economic and climate challenges, and for accelerating the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. Concretely, this event demonstrates our commitment to ending preventable maternal deaths, closing the unmet needs for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage.

What are some of the practical solutions we can come up with at the end of this two-day event? For one, prioritizing and ensuring the use of the 2025 Census and the Lao Social Indicator Survey III to inform the 10th NSEDP for 2026-2030 is an opportunity we cannot miss.

Further, investing in national administrative data governance systems, including civil registration and vital statistics, sectoral information management systems, is key to ensure the availability of reliable data for monitoring the national and global goals.

Finally, establishing a national coordination committee on population and development at a level that effectively steers and facilitates the work of ministries is a solution that has worked in other countries.

In conclusion, let me express my thanks again to you all for joining us today. It speaks to your interest and commitment to advance the 2030 Agenda and the ICPD Programme of Action in Lao PDR.

The UN Country Team in Lao PDR is convinced that only through concerted efforts of the Government and development partners, private sector and civil society constituents, will we be able to unlock opportunities for women, men, boys and girls across the country. No one actor can single-handedly create meaningful change for people on the ground; a whole-of-society approach is needed to overcome challenges and help everyone reach their full potential.

I wish the conference all success.

Khop Chai.