Opening Remarks at SWG Chairs and Co-chairs Meeting

Excellency Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Soulivath Souvannachoumkham
Excellencies Vice-Ministers, Ambassadors, SWG Chairs and Co-chairs
Distinguished representatives from the Government
Development partners, colleagues from the UN and Multilateral Banks
Ladies and gentlemen:

Deputy Minister Soulivath – let me begin by welcoming you in your new role in the consolidated Ministry of Finance. It is a great pleasure to have you as co-chair for today’s meeting and as principal counterpart for the Round Table Process (RTP). Thank you for your insightful remarks outlining the country’s current priorities and challenges.

Let me also echo Deputy Minister’s appreciation to the newly established Department of International Finance and Cooperation for its hard work and smooth preparations for today’s meeting amid the restructuring in the Ministry. The Department will now serve as the National RTP Secretariat, and we all look forward to a close collaboration with DIFC.

The restructuring also presents an opportunity for us to jointly review current coordination mechanisms and propose improvements as mentioned by Deputy Minister in his remarks.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our meeting today is at a pivotal stage in the development of the 10th NSEDP, where the following will be presented: 
-    Revised draft of the 10th Plan incorporating comments received from SWGs and next steps in its finalization; 
-    An update on the development of the M&E Framework for the Plan; and
-    The latest on the initiation of the Financing Strategy for the 10th Plan.

I would like to thank the SWGs for providing detailed comments to the 10th NSEDP over the past few months – I also understand that several SWGs have convened recently to take stock of progress and inputs into the document. These efforts reflect collective ownership and commitment to ensure the Plan is responsive to the development needs across sectors and institutions.

Building on previous consultations held, SWG comments continue to stress the need for the 10th Plan to be costed, attainable and measurable. Consolidation of planning and budgeting functions under the Ministry of Finance bodes well for all of these expectations to be met.

On the M&E Framework, the UN agencies’ M&E experts under the Learning, Evaluation and Data (or LEAD) group have worked with the Department of Planning to review and strengthen M&E indicators of the draft Plan. This has been a beneficial partnership so far and we welcome development partners to join us in supporting this ongoing review.

Just earlier this week, the Department of Planning, with support from the UN and including UN including financial contributions from ADB and the UKFCDO, successfully conducted a two-day consultation with line ministries and private sector representatives to assess investment needs, resource availability and financing options to support the drafting of the Financing Strategy for 10th NSEDP. This process is essential to ensure that the 10th Plan is financially sound, grounded in realistic resource mobilization prospects, and linked to implementation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have a little over three months before the 14th Round Table Implementation Meeting in November, where the main components of the 10th NSEDP will be presented – with further consultations scheduled to take place in the lead up to the meeting. This will be a High-Level RTIM, which will be opened by the Prime Minister, and co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and a high-level official from the United Nations Headquarters. Importantly, the meeting will be taking place a year from when Lao PDR is set to graduate from LDC status in 2026.

I am pleased to see that we have some non-resident partners joining this meeting online today, as the provisional agenda for the High-level RTIM will be presented today. We hope that as many non-resident development partners as possible will be able to join us in person and at a suitably senior levels in November.

We have worked hard to ensure that RTIMs are a space for dialogue and interaction, and I envisage that this year’s high-level meeting will be equally forward-looking and action-orientated as we deliberate the future of human capital development, the macroeconomic prospects and impacts on environment and climate.

We welcome your feedback and comments to the RTIM concept note and agenda, we well as your commitment as SWG conveners to work with the RTP Secretariat in preparing for the high-level meeting in November.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A lot has changed since we last met in this forum. Deputy Minister Soulivath has referred to the global economic shifts impacting Laos. On the development finance side, the ripple effects of global economy and trade have been compounded by rapidly shrinking ODA. Financing for the SDGs is uncertain even for the least developed countries that need all the support they can get to support their LDC graduation aspirations.

In that context, domestic resource mobilization including smart taxation, strategic budget allocations and financial management measures gain central importance for countries such as Lao PDR. It is reassuring that they are in the focus of the upcoming Financing Strategy for the 10th NSEDP.

Meanwhile, financing, technical and capacity building support from development partners must be sustained – especially for the underfunded social sectors – while the implementation of domestic measures picks up over the course of the 10th NSEDP.

For the United Nations globally and in Lao PDR, the shifting ODA landscape has meant time for change as well. The UN System is undergoing a global reform effort to make our work more efficient, effective and streamlined. It is called UN80 as this year we mark the 80th anniversary since the UN was established. Similarly, at the country level, UN agencies in Lao PDR have been going through reprioritization and downsizing efforts. These are uncertain times for all of us, but it’s reassuring that we are together in this forum, which I firmly believe helps us all to focus our partnership and results on issues that matter for the country and the people that we serve.

In that spirit, I encourage you to please share your views and feedback as we finalize the NSEDP and prepare for the High-level RTIM. We count on your engagement, commitment and partnership.

I would like to thank the Co-chairs for their leadership of the SWGs and all participants here today for their support. I also wish to express my appreciation to the Ministry of Finance for the continued stewardship of this crucial consultation process.

I wish us all a productive meeting today.