Opening Remarks for Validation Workshop for the Round Table Process (RTP) Review

• Director-General Vongkhamheng Vongthachack, International Finance and Cooperation Department (IFCD) of the Ministry of Finance, and Head of the RTP Secretariat
• DGs and DDGs from Ministries and other national institutions
• Development Partner, UN and IFI colleagues:

Thank you for joining us today in this workshop to validate the results of the Round Table Process Review and Sustainability Study. 

This Review comes at an important time for development cooperation in Lao PDR. The contributions from Government representatives to the discussions at the 14th High-Level Roundtable meeting in November last year – and statements from development partners – spoke to the solidarity and shared ambition of Lao PDR and the international community in the pursuit of sustainable economic and human development.

At the same time, after my 3rd Roundtable Meeting as Resident Coordinator, I felt a sense that the complexity of policy issues discussed has been steadily increasing – be it safeguarding human capital amidst economic and fiscal pressures; supporting a transition to more environmentally sustainable economic growth; or strengthening national capacity in response to the growing threat of transnational crime. 

Likewise, the 3rd Vientiane Declaration on Effective Development Cooperation endorsed at the High-Level RTM is recognition that development finance has changed markedly over the last decade, with the new Declaration outlining an ambitious ten-year roadmap for strengthening public financial management, accountability and disclosure in development finance, better alignment of external and domestic financing to national development objectives, and a commitment to broader partnerships in sustainable development, including with civil society and the private sector.

It is important that our national platform for development cooperation – what we call the Round Table Process – continues to evolve such that it remains a relevant, dynamic and fit-for-purpose platform to seek solutions to increasingly complex challenges. The recent government restructuring further highlights the need to renovate the entire Round Table Process – its structures, roles and financial responsibilities for the functioning of RTP Secretariat, convening of the Sector Working Groups, and all of their working methods and practices.

My sense is that there is unrealized potential in our Round Table Process, which is precisely why this review was proposed as part of VD3, and has been undertaken with support from UNDP. I would also like to extend my thanks to the ODA Management Office in Vietnam for agreeing to share and discuss the evolution of their aid management processes. I hope that lessons learnt from Vietnam’s experience can provide a guide for a similar institutional transition here in Lao PDR. This presentation will be followed by a discussion of the key findings of the RTP study from our UNDP team.

In providing your feedback and reflections, I would encourage us to think beyond the day-to-day touchpoints with the RTP process like Sector Working Groups, or the annual Round Table Meeting, and to think more substantially about what a best-practice system of effective development cooperation in policy and coordination spaces could look like. I would especially welcome your views on financially sustainable model for the Round Table Process, appropriate co-chairing arrangements and responsibilities, and suggestions on more effective and sustainable governance structures.

Thank you again for your attendance this morning, and I encourage you to take this opportunity to shape the future of the Round Table Process in Lao PDR.