Round Table Meeting 2019: Closing Remarks by Sara Sekkenes

Your Excellency, Dr. Sonexay Siphandone, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Planning and Investment,

Your Excellency Mr. Khamkhan Chanthavisouk, Governor of Luangprabang Province,

Excellencies Ministers, Deputy-Ministers, Distinguished Ambassadors,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

As we near the end of this year’s Round Table Meeting, I would like to first express my heartfelt thanks to the Government of Lao PDR, for this highly appreciated opportunity to engage in a development dialogue, sharing our views on how best we can support Lao PDR on securing a sustainable development.

But first, if you allow me, I would like to highlight a few key takeaways which we, in the spirit of the Vientiane Declaration, collectively can take forward within the framework of the Sector Working Groups under the much capable leadership of the Minister for Planning and Investment.  

• In view of the integrated nature of the SDGs, it is important to ensure that national policies and frameworks are also interlinked under the umbrella of SDGs, including for instance, the Green Growth Strategy, Disaster Reduction Framework, National Strategy on DRR, and the National Social Protection Strategy to name a few, so that the converged implementation of these policies can facilitate the achievement of national SDG targets.
• We also discussed and agreed that further efforts are needed, under close coordination of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, to translate these national commitments into multi-sectoral local action at sub-national level through support to design, implementation and monitoring of Provincial Socio-Economic Development Plans aligned to the 9th NSEDP.
• In order to realize the national commitments and the local action, the Round Table highlighted the need for gradual transition to domestic resources and fiscal consolidation, increasing accountability and monitoring of results at local level, and strengthening capacity of provincial and district authorities aligned do the Three Builds (SamSang) Strategy.
• Domestic resource mobilization is instrumental to secure the much-needed quality investments into social sectors, in particular for health and education, for the all-inclusive development of Laos human capital, the men, women, boys and girls who represent this very capital – which is a prerequisite for a sustainable LDC graduation, as presented in the outcome statement by H.E. Vice-Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth, under Panel 1 earlier today.
• Installing, in the Lao Generation 2030, a sense of hope and promise for the future by investing in health and education opportunities of every girl and boy, every woman and man, supported by the public goods – such as quality public services across sectors, equal income generation opportunities for all, good governance and rule of law with zero tolerance to any forms of violence in every village, district and province of Lao PDR – is a guarantee of the prosperous future of Lao PDR.
• Speaking of green growth, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as mentioned both by H.E. Vice-Minister Ms. Bounkham Vorachit and H.E. Vice Minister Mrs. Baykham Khattiya, in their respective reports back of the 3rd and 4th Panels; building resilience to natural hazards and disasters caused by climate change across sectors is key for achievement of the national priorities, including the aspiration to graduate from the Least Developed Country status and achieve sustainable development for all.
• And to “do no harm” to the environment and livelihoods of the communities in the transition from land-locked to land-linked country with the much-needed infrastructural development, is crucial in every single action.
• To keep track of the above-mentioned priorities and their implementation, as highlighted by H.E. Vice-Minister Mr. Thoungpane Savanphet in his presentation of the outcome of the Panel discussion on SDGs; the Sector Working Groups provide an excellent platform for systematic priority setting and oversight of SDG implementation at the executive level through their Annual Work Plans, inter alia further strengthening the results orientation and evidence-base of the Round Table Process.
• To this end, the Meeting also allowed us to realize the increasingly important role of the private sector and regional actors in accelerating the achievement of SDGs that leave no one behind, thus their increasingly and continued active involvement in the development dialogue will be critical. 

The achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development is the hope and ambition of Lao PDR. It is also our hope and ambition as development partners. We are therefore eager and look very much forward to working together to ensure that the development outcomes benefit all, in all corners and strata of the Lao society, that it is sustainable and resilient, that can withstand crisis by adapting to, and mitigating the impact of external shocks such as climate change. This was also the essence of this year’s high-level summit on Climate Change during the 74th General Assembly when H. E. Foreign Minister Saleumxay spoke convincingly on the actions advanced by Lao PDR.  

On behalf of the United Nations, I would like to invite you all to join a global conversation throughout year 2020, revisiting our aspirations for the future we want, and the UN we need, as Member States will be reconfirming their collection commitment to multilateralism on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, securing peace & security, development and human rights, by “we the peoples”, for the peoples.

In closing, I would like to thank Excellency Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Planning and Investment, for so capably leading today’s High-Level Dialogue.

I would also like to express warm appreciation to Excellency Mr. Khamkhan Chanthavisouk, Governor, for the warm hospitality extended to us while here in Luangprabang and for sharing with us the provincial level perspective on the development priorities.

Using the opportunity, let me also express gratitude to Luxembourg for supporting this Round Table Meeting and to New Zealand for announcing its support to the Government of Lao PDR, for the effective development of the 9th NSEDP through the UN Development Programme.

It has been a great honor to co-chair with you, this important High-level Development Dialogue on behalf of the United Nations Development System and the UN Country Team in Lao PDR.

We look forward to share the highlights of the Round Table Meeting with H. E. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and to subsequently, walk the talk, moving this important agenda forward through the collaborative efforts of a whole-of-Government, together with the development community, civil society, the vital private sector and individual agents of change.  

I thank you.