United Nation's Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro visits Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Photo: UN Lao PDR/Laophoto

The United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, departed Lao PDR late Tuesday 9 th November after a two day visit. On her first trip to the country, Dr. Migiro addressed delegates from over 120 states, UN agencies, civil society and cluster munition survivors at the opening ceremony of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Government of Lao PDR played a leading role in developing the Convention that entered into force in August 2010 and bans the use, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions. To date the treaty has been signed by 108 states and ratified by 46. Lao PDR will hold the Presidency for the treaties inaugural year. Read more

Dozens of Lao women are learning to be midwives as part of a national effort to bring down one of the region’s highest maternal mortality rates.

Two families lose a mother and nearly 20 babies are born dead every day, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which is supporting the government initiative.

Deliveries by untrained birthing attendants, unable to solve life-threatening complications during birthing at home or help a newborn take its first breath, are partly responsible for both maternal and infant deaths, according to Monir Islam, director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Making Pregnancies Safer department. Read more

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Mine Assistance was celebrated by a large group of people in a public event organised by the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action Sector in Lao PDR, supported by UNDP. 

Among the many activities, such as the symbolic march down Lane Xang, different UXO operators (clearance, community awareness and victim assistance) had set up exhibition booths for their work and activities. In addition to more official speeches, the audience was able to listen to the ideas and thoughts of young people who took part on a UXO poem competition, and proudly read their poems on the stage.

Photo: Julie Mehigan/UNDP - NRA 

The Government of Lao PDR and UNDP organized a Special Event on Cluster Munitions on 18 February 2010 in Vientiane. Opening remarks were given by His Excellency Mr. Phongsavath Boupha, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Sonam Yangchen Rana, UN Resident Coordinator.

The Special Event was organized under historic circumstances, with 30 countries ratifying the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The convention will enter into force on 01 August 2010 [Read more]

12 February 2010, the ground-breaking Summit on Adolescent & Youth Health Development was convened at Don Chan Palace in Vientiane with the theme “Young People’s Health in the Lao PDR: Why Worry?” The meeting was cordially co-chaired by H.E Dr. Bounkhouang Phichith, Vice Minister of Health and Mr. Serge Verniau, UNRC a.i to Lao PDR.

More than 150 top level participants were in attendance including representatives from National Assembly, government ministries, mass organizations, INGOs, Development Partners, journalists and young people. The meeting was jointly facilitated and supported by Ministry of Health and four UN agencies: UNFPA, UNICEF, UNODC and WHO. [Read more]

On 17 December 2009, representatives of staff working in United Nations agencies in the Lao PDR presented donations of 8.5 million Kip and 11 cartons of materials to the Lao Red Cross for distribution to Ketsana affected communities.

The donations were made by national and international staff working in the many organisations that make up the United Nations Country Team, and collected on the occasion of UN Staff Day in October 2009.

Many United Nations staff have close personal and professional connections within the areas that have been affected by the devastating storms and floods that Ketsana brought to the worst affected communities, and they are aware of the damage to families’ livelihoods and development projects in the area.

“We all wanted to express our concern for and solidarity with the victims in the most concrete way, by providing resources to help these communities rebuild their lives,” explained Mrs Chanthavisouk Nirasay, Staff Association Committee representative.
 
The UN Staff Association Committees selected the Lao Red Cross as recipient of the donations, who will ensure that the staff members’ contribution will go to the much needed victims in the southern provinces and will provide a report on the beneficiaries and the services provided to them.

Vientiane, December 7, 2009: A new 24-hour telephone hotline has been launched by the Lao National Tourism Administration and the Tourism Police to help keep children safe from sexual exploitation. The hotline number 192 was launched to coincide with the opening of the 25th South East Asian (SEA) Games as part of efforts to make the event a safe experience for children.  

Staffed by a specially trained team of tourist police, the toll-free hotline has the support of the United Nations and a number of International Non Governmental Organisations. Read more