L-R: Deputy minister of Planning and Investment of Laos, Dr. Kikeo Chanthaboury; Minister Romain Schneider;
Credit: MAEE
On 22 March 2018, the deputy minister of Planning and Investment of Laos, Dr. Kikeo Chanthaboury, accompanied by a delegation of the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos, attended the 11th Partnership Commission in Luxembourg.
On the occasion of the 11th Partnership Commission, the Luxembourg and Laos representatives took stock of the implementation of the Indicative Cooperation Program (ICP) and relations between the two countries beyond development cooperation.
Laos has been a partner country of the Luxembourg Cooperation since 1997. The 4th ICP (2016-2020) has a budget of €75 million and focuses on the priority sectors of health, rural development and tourism, vocational training in tourism and hospitality as well as good governance. Luxembourg is today one of the most important donors in Laos and plays a leading role in joint EU programming.
During the political dialogue, the two ministers discussed development cooperation, the diversification of relations, the removal of Laos from the list of least developed countries (LDCs), trade, the rule of law and civil society.
The Partnership Commission also highlighted the multi-stakeholder partnerships established in Laos, particularly with civil society, such as Caritas, as well as with Luxembourg actors such as the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the STATEC, the Institute for Legal Support and Technical Assistance (ILSTA) and the University of Luxembourg.
Deputy Minister Kikeo Chanthaboury and Minister Romain Schneider also spoke about the Business Partnership Facility and the potential strengthening of trade links between Laos and Luxembourg. The deputy minister also said that the current priorities of Laos are the graduation of Laos to the list of middle-income countries, the mid-term review of the national plan for socio-economic development, the new strategy for tourism "Visit Laos 2018", as well as the elaboration of the national plan for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.
