Opening Remarks at the First National Dialogue on Earthquake Preparedness in Lao PDR

Excellency Mr. Chanthanet Boualapha, Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Environment

Mr. Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Mr. Yan Rui, Deputy Director-General of the China Earthquake Networks Center

Distinguished Director-General of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology 

Representatives of line ministries, development partners, civil society, private sector and academia

Sabaidee, and a very warm welcome to all of you!

It is my pleasure to join you today for the First National Dialogue on Earthquake Preparedness in Lao PDR, taking place on the first International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes. 

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team in Lao PDR, I wish to thank the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the UNDRR, and our partners from the China Meteorological Administration, for bringing us together for this important commemoration.

Today is, first and foremost, a day of remembrance. We remember the families and communities across the region who have experienced fear, destruction and loss from earthquakes. No statistic can truly capture the full extent of these impacts.

To those who paid the ultimate price and to many others who experienced lasting impacts of devastation, we owe not only remembrance but also action.

Ladies and gentlemen:

Lao PDR stands at a remarkable moment in its development journey. Later this year, the country is scheduled to graduate from the Least Developed Country status, a milestone that has been a national aspiration for more than two decades. This is an achievement which the country and the people can be deeply proud of.

Vulnerability is a key factor that determines a country’s LDC designation. So graduating from LDC status raises the stakes in disaster resilience.

Hard-won development gains can be set back in a matter of seconds when a disaster strikes. Floods along the Mekong, prolonged droughts and tropical storms are the hazards that communities in Lao PDR know well, and the country has worked hard to manage them.

Earthquakes have, until now, been a quieter concern. Yet the data generated by the monitoring stations across the country, and the seismic events recorded in recent years, remind us that this risk also requires attention.

This is why today’s event matters. 

It matters because some of the communities most exposed to disaster risks are also those with limited resources to prepare, respond and recover – those with a lesser capability to cope. These include ethnic groups, women, persons with disabilities, children, and older persons.

This is who we mean when we speak about leaving no one behind. Making sure that a school in Phongsali, a health center in Luang Namtha, a village in Xayabuli, and a hydropower facility on a tributary of the Mekong are all part of the same conversation about safety and resilience.

On the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes, we honor those lost to nature's fury worldwide – and reflect deeply on our own preparedness and ability to act. From the earthquake's tremors to our rural communities' vulnerabilities, these shocks remind us of fragile fault lines beneath our feet.

Colleagues and friends:

The United Nations in Lao PDR stands ready, as One UN, to walk alongside the Government of Lao PDR in the resilience-building effort. 

As we open this dialogue, I invite each of us to leave today with something concrete: a connection, a commitment, and an actionable next step. 

In remembrance lies strength. Let us commit to community preparedness, early warnings and resilient infrastructure. Together, we transform exposure into safeguards, ensuring Lao PDR stands safer in the face of this hazard.

I wish you a productive day, and I thank the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and all of our partners for making this event possible.

Khob chai. Thank you.