About UN-HABITAT/Work we do/Publications/Contact us

About UN-HABITAT

UN-HABITAT is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978, and is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-HABITAT's programmes are designed to help policy-makers and local communities get to grips with the human settlements and urban issues and find workable, lasting solutions. 

UN-HABITAT's work is directly related to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly the goals of member states to improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020, as well as to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 (Targets 11 and 10 respectively, MDG #7).

UN-HABITAT in Lao PDR

In Lao PDR, UN-HABITAT has supported the preparation of an integrated urban planning and institution building for local authorities and introduced community participation models for in-situ upgrading during the 90s.  A local UN-HABITAT office was opened in Lao PDR in 2005, now operating as a regional hub for South-East Asia.

More recently, UN-HABITAT has worked with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport – Department of Housing and Urban Planning (MPWT-DHUP) on community-based water supply and sanitation issues in urban and peri-urban towns across Lao PDR, as well as issues related to urban renewable energy, water, sanitation, hygiene education and -promotion as well as gender mainstreaming in the water and sanitation sector.

UN-HABITAT is currently running two programmes in Lao PDR: Water for Asian Cities (WAC) -programme and Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN), which support the implementation of a wide range of water and sanitation activities in poor districts. In addition to its two long-term water and sanitation programmes, UN-HABITAT actively participates in emergency relief work in Lao PDR as and when a need arises.

The work we do

MEK-WATSAN (The Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative)

The fundamental goal of this initiative is to improve the living conditions of the urban poor in the Mekong region and protect local environments by providing the inhabitants with an improved access to water supply and adequate sanitation services.

The Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN), which has been in operation since 2005, is a collaborative effort between UN-HABITAT and the governments of the Mekong region: The Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (Yunnan province), the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The whole philosophy of MEK-WATSAN is to support the participating governments attain their water and sanitation related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed in 2000, to halve the proportion of people without access to improved water supply and sanitation services by 2015.

“Fast-track” initiatives in a number of towns have demonstrated how using participatory and community-based approaches access to water and sanitation can be improved in a short time and with relatively small investments. In a “roll-out” phase the programme is being replicated in more towns. The programme includes infrastructure improvements based on participatory and demand-led approaches, as well as capacity building for affordable and sustainable service provision.

The programme is being expanded in a modular fashion, depending on the availability of resources and growing demand from the participating countries. Currently underway is the implementation of the second phase of the programme, bringing access to clean water and/or improved sanitation facilities to more than 280,000 people around the Mekong Region. The total amount invested by UN-HABITAT in this phase is nearly $6million USD (of which $2million is for Lao PDR).

Implementation of MEK-WATSAN in Lao PDR

Since 2005, UN-HABITAT has implemented 19 water and sanitation-related projects under the MEK-WATSAN initiative in eight different provinces in Lao PDR. Three of the projects have already been completed, and few others others are due to complete later on this year. The projects will bring clean drinking water to an estimated 68,000 people and improved sanitation to about 55,000 people from poor households.

The types of projects that are being implemented in Lao PDR include a number of community-based water supply and sanitation initiatives, including establishing / extending / rehabilitating water supply and sanitation networks in secondary towns. As well as providing improved access to water and sanitation, the project aims is to build capacity among the inhabitants of the target villages. This is achieved through initiatives such as training local artisans to build and maintain latrines.

UN-HABITAT works with several partners in Lao PDR in this programme: Nam Papa State-owned Enterprises (NPSEs – provincial water supply authorities), The Department of Statistics (DOS) of the Lao PDR, GRET (a French NGO), Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEDS) and the National University of Laos (NUOL).

For more information on specific projects, see the MEK-WATSAN brochure or contact UN-HABITAT.

WAC (Water for Asian Cities)

The Water for Asian Cities (WAC) programme is a collaborative initiative between UN-HABITAT, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the governments of Asia. WAC Programme was officially launched at the Third World Water Forum (WWF) on 18 March 2003. It aims at supporting the implementation of the water and sanitation related Millennium Development Goals and targets (MDGs) in Asian cities, specifically promoting pro-poor governance, water demand management, increased attention to environmental sanitation; and income generation for the poor linked to water supply and sanitation. The programme seeks to achieve this by mobilizing political will, raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; by promoting new investments in the urban water and sanitation sector; and by systematic monitoring of progress towards MDGs. The overriding thrust of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to enhance capacity at city, country and regional levels and to create an enabling environment for new flows of investments in the urban water and sanitation sector, with a view to meet the water and sanitation related Millennium Declaration Goals in Asian cities.

Implementation of WAC Programme in Lao PDR

UN-HABITAT has implemented ten projects in Lao PDR under WAC, two of which has been completed to date.

The types of projects implemented here include:

• Human Values-based Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (HVWSHE): An initiative to create a new water ethic through values-based water education by importing information on water, sanitation and hygiene and also inspire and motivate learners to change their behaviour with a view to promote wise and sustainable use of water and sanitation.
• MDG monitoring: developing a baseline database on water and environmental sanitation indicators
• Developing pilot demonstration on biogas digesters
• Arsenic mapping: testing and recording capacities of the levels of arsenic in groundwater
• Hygiene promotion: strengthening the technical capacity of stakeholders to promote hygiene and sanitation activities in a number of provinces
• Gender mainstreaming: ensuring that gender issues are integrated in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes
• Raising awareness and capacity on community waste management

Projects are implemented through cooperation agreements with different partners such as the Asian Development Bank, Norwegian Church Aid, The Department of Statistics, The Department of Housing and Urban Planning, Gender Resource Information and Development Center (GRID), The Water Resources and Environment Office - Luang Prabang (WREO-LP) and The Department of Higher Education (HED).

Emergency work:

Typhoon Ketsana (2009)

On 29 September 2009, Typhoon Ketsana hit southern Laos, sweeping through Attapeu, Sekong, Saravane, Savannakhet and Champassack Provinces before exiting the country. Several villages located along the Sekong River in Sekong Province were washed away and many areas were affected by landslides. The UN agencies in Lao PDR launched a coordinated response to this emergency, and UN-HABITAT -supported activities involved rehabilitating water and sanitation infrastructures that were affected by the floods. These efforts reached out to nearly 50,000 people through repair and restoration water treatment plants and repair of systems such as water networks, sanitation facilities, solid waste management, sewerage drainage system and hygiene and sanitation awareness campaigns in affected urban and peri-urban areas. The emergency assistance ensured safety of the people, especially women and children, through resumption to normalcy of safe water supply and sanitation infrastructure.

Mekong floods (2008)

Lao PDR experienced heavy rainfall in the Northern provinces in early August 2008, causing the Mekong River and many of its tributaries to flood their banks. This caused the contamination of wells, and residents in the affected areas were forced to rely on bottled water for drinking purposes. It was also reported that untreated water was used for drinking and other purposes such as washing, posing a health risk for over 80,000 people. UN-HABITAT provided funds for the Department of Housing and Urban Planning (DHUP) to finance the costs of implementing the emergency water and sanitation assistance to communities affected by flooding in five provinces of Lao PDR, namely Huaphan, Luang Prabang, Sayabouly, Bolikhamxay and Khammouane.

Publications

Contact us

UN-HABITAT, 3rd Floor, UN House, Lane Xang Avenue, P.O. Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR

About UN-HABITAT/Work we do/Publications/Contact us