Stakeholder Engagement Seminar - Outcomes of the 2nd Voluntary National Review, 9th NSEDP M&E, SDG Data, and LDC Smooth Transition Strategy

Your excellency, Mr. Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Esteemed Government partners,

Distinguished Ambassadors,

Development partner representatives,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to join the deputy minister in welcoming you to this pre-consultation in the lead-up to the 13th High-Level Roundtable Meeting now scheduled for Wednesday 17 November.

I am sure that many of those here today also attended the virtual Roundtable Retreat earlier this month, where the plans and approach to this important moment for development cooperation were laid out.

This included the three main ‘chapters’ of the Roundtable programme:

1. Taking stock of the progress that has been achieved so far, and the key challenges that we need to overcome;
2. National plans and priorities to drive progress over the coming years; and
3. How we could work together ever more efficiently and effectively to support faster progress.

Today gives us an opportunity to discuss a few of those items in more detail.

Our discussion this morning begins with a presentation of the 2nd Voluntary National Review on SDG implementation that took place during the High-Level Political Forum in New York.

These voluntary national reviews are based on member states’ ability to measure progress on SDG achievement which, here today, gives us the opportunity for a discussion on the monitoring and evaluation framework of the 9th NSEDP and the SDG data that underpinned this work.

Lastly, riding on the steadily progressing higher levels of SDG achievements in Lao PDR, we will hear more on the approach to graduating from Least Developed Country status, with a transition strategy aimed at positioning the country in 2026 for a high quality and irreversible graduation.

Let me start my underlining the value of the Voluntary National Review, or VNR.

In 2012, representatives from across the globe came together in Brazil to define ‘The Future We Want’ at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

One of the key outcomes from that discussion, was the establishment of the High-Level Political Forum to provide political leadership and guidance, enhance integration, and allow for regular dialogue and follow-up in pursuit of global development goals.

With the agreement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, this Forum took on a central role in the follow-up and review of progress towards the achievement of the SDGs as the primary framework for measuring progress toward that vision.

VNRs, undertaken by member states and presented to the Political Forum, are national processes to review achievements, challenges, and progress on the localization and integration of SDGs into national planning, and as such in fact represents the presentation and expression by Lao PDR, at global level, and in agreed SDG terminology -- of its achievements with regards to the implementation of the National Socio-Economic Development Plan. The advantage of this globally agreed narrative as backdrop to the VNRs is that we can share lessons across countries and regions, provide support, and keep track of whether we collectively are on track to realize our shared ambitions in a truly globalized world, where setbacks in one country, now means setbacks for all, and advances are needed everywhere to ensure a positive outcome for all.

Crucially, this means that VNR reporting and NSEDP progress reporting should be viewed as two sides of the same coin, and so it is welcome that we will be discussing both today.

Through our discussion on Lao PDR’s second VNR, submitted and presented to the High-Level Political Forum in July, we have an opportunity to take stock- reflecting on progress and considering ways to strengthen policies and institutional arrangements in support of the realization of the 9th NSEDP and the SDGs.

Through this, we will be able to use the lessons from the journey so far to inform steps we take next.

Today, we also have the opportunity to look ahead.

In particular, with the recommendation for Lao PDR to begin the process of graduation from being a Least Developed Country earlier this year, a key transition will soon be starting which, whilst demonstrating the progress that has been achieved, also requires careful management.

The discussion on the approach being taken to the development of a Smooth Transition Strategy is a chance to both better understand how the plans are being developed to navigate this transition, and how different stakeholders can be part of those plans.

This is especially pressing given the once-in-a-decade global conference on Least Developed Countries taking place in January- which will set the global agenda on development support to Least Developed Countries for the coming 10 years.

It therefore represents a crucial opportunity for Lao PDR to clearly articulate how it plans to tackle the transition and, whilst the eyes of the world are on LDCs, what the expectations of this attention will be in terms of continued support.

Through this consultation, we hope to facilitate discussion and collect initial feedback from stakeholders on the proposed approach to developing, and then implementing the Smooth Transition Strategy.

This will then be followed by a dedicated discussion on the LDC graduation in the margins of the Roundtable Meeting itself and help inform the engagement of the Lao delegation at the LDC V in Doha January and the further development of the strategy itself.

As ever, we count on your active engagement in these discussions to help shape the best way forward and advance the development prospects of Lao PDR that leaves no one behind.

With this, let me thank all for joining us and look forward to our discussions here today.

Thank you.