Remarks at Ad-Hoc JSC Meeting on UN -Lao PDR Cooperation Framework 2027-2031

Ms. Moukdavanh Sisoulith, Director-General of the International Organizations Department

DGs, DDGs and other members of the Joint Steering Committee Members from the Government

UN Country Team colleagues

Colleagues and friends:

Let me echo Director-General Moukdavanh in thanking you for joining us this morning to discuss the shared priorities of the Government of Lao PDR and the United Nations for the next five years.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework is the Framework agreement with Government that outlines shared priorities and outcomes for all United Nations entities and organizations.

Our current Cooperation Framework will conclude in 2026. Over the past 6 months, UN agencies have been working to develop the next iteration of the Cooperation Framework, which, in turn, defines their respective Country Programme Documents and Strategies.

Thank you to all of you that have made valuable contributions to our work to date – be it through evaluations of country programmes, input and feedback to analyses, and helping shape the strategic priorities of UN agencies. 

I would especially like to thank my Co-Chair DG Moukdavanh and her team at the Department of International Organizations, for their continued support throughout the implementation of the current Cooperation Framework and the new CF development process.

We meet at a moment that follows the approval of the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan by the 12th National Congress of the LPRP earlier this month. The UN System agencies has engaged with the NSEDP formulation actively, including its M&E Framework and Financing Strategy that need to be adopted in the coming weeks as well. We are pleased to see the the forward-looking priorities of the Government reflected in the five-year national development agenda, and remain committed to finalizing the M&E and financing frameworks for the NSEDP. 

The five-year duration of the UN’s upcoming Cooperation Framework is designed to align with the 10th Plan. Its start in 2027 is meant to allow us all to achieve full congruence and alignment with priorities of the national development plan. Discussing and renewing our shared priorities at this time ensures that the work of the United Nations contributes to both the 2030 Agenda and the national development priorities.

We also acknowledge that our discussion comes at a critical juncture. The current Cooperation framework was developed with an emphasis on post-pandemic recovery, and the need for economic growth that is decoupled from environmental degradation. While still highly relevant, the 10th NSEDP signals a higher level of ambition over the next five years. 

The 10th NSEDP and the UN’s Cooperation Framework will coincide with Lao PDRs graduation from Least Developed Country status, the conclusion of the 2030 Agenda and commitments made towards the Sustainable Development Goals. LDC graduation will elicit a change in certain areas of trade, investment and multilateral support, but is also a marker of positive economic and social progress in Lao PDR. Regional developments are also increasingly shaping Lao PDR’s economy and society.  Regional integration through trade, investment and people-to-people linkages has had a tremendously positive impact on living standards in Lao PDR. However, this integration brings with it growing exposures to regional and global economic developments, and transboundary concerns such as illicit activities and environmental degradation.

These developments are progressing at pace, and are stretching the country’s capacity to govern, safeguard, regulate and respond. Protracted fiscal constraints owing to the country’s economic situation and the global rollback of ODA means that, while our objectives are broadly the same, our ways of working to sustain economic and social progress in Lao PDR will most certainly need to change.

Today’s engagement is an opportunity for us to discuss our shared priorities for the next five years, and to seek your feedback to ensure these priorities are relevant, meaningful and complementary to the national development agenda. Your endorsement today of the outcomes of the 2027-2031 Cooperation Framework and its results architecture will also provide the basis for UN agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP to finalize their respective Country Programme Documents, so that the support of these UN agencies can continue into 2027 and beyond.

It may seem like we have plenty of time before the new Cooperation Framework goes live in 2027. But in actuality, working our way backwards from the expected date of signing, and factoring in Agency Board approval requirements, time is very short.

We therefore need to maximize this engagement and get your concentrated feedback on the new outcomes and overall structure of the Cooperation Framework. There will be other opportunities to consult on the new CF and agency CPDs as we continue to rapidly flesh out their content, but they are dependent on the progress that we are able to achieve today.

I look forward to a constructive discussion ahead, and thank you again for your support for the United Nations in Lao PDR.