News
For Asia Office ( View all news )

Display filters

2019
- 8 April
- By Neira RAMIC
- Asia Office LAO/029
- Education, vocationnal training and employment
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Short courses paving a career path in tourism and hospitality

Students graduated their three months Certificate 1 Level course in Food Production and Food and Beverage Service in Lanith Luang Prabang Training Centre

A graduation ceremony was held for the 30 students who successfully completed three-month Certificate 1 (C1)-accredited training programmes in Food Production and Food and Beverage Service at the Lanith Luang Prabang Training Centre from January to March 2019. All 30 graduates have already secured jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector, primarily at leading hotels and restaurants in Luang Prabang.

These training courses which focus, in particular, on inclusion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds in tourism/hospitality training and employment, are supported by the Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029). The trainings are designed to equip young women and men with the required skills set to land an entry-level job in the tourism and hospitality sector. The Lanith Luang Prabang Training Centre supplements the high quality practical training with intensive English language lessons and basic employability skills. All tuition fees are covered and students receive a monthly stipend, as well as accommodation and support costs for the entire duration of the course, as well as for one month after graduation to ease their transition to employment.

Since 2017, LAO/029 has supported more than 100 young people (75% of whom are women) from disadvantaged backgrounds to study at the Lanith Luang Prabang Training Centre. The courses have led to the employment of all graduates within the sector.

At the graduation ceremony, Mr. Xaisavanh Chanthasith, Deputy Director of Luang Prabang Provincial Education and Sports Department, commented that Food and Beverage Service, Food Production and Housekeeping Operations are key areas in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Luang Prabang. Graduates of such programmes are in high demand and can contribute to the further development of the tourism sector in the province.

Mr Por Vang, who graduated from the same training programme in 2017, also attended the graduation ceremony and gave an inspiring speech wherein he shared his experiences of working in the tourism and hospitality sector following completion of his training. Starting off as a waiter, he is now working in the front office department of the renowned Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel. He praised the support received and the quality of the training he obtained. After only three months training, he had developed his confidence and was ready to tackle the workplace. He also encouraged students to continue developing their knowledge and skills stating that “learning never stops”.

↑ To the top
- 4 April
- By Reginald M. Pastrana
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Khammouane Legal Aid Office Praised
H.E. Bounsavath Boupha, Vice Minister of Justice (fourth from the right), in the presence of various justice officials, members of the Lao Bar Association, district heads of Khammouane Province of the Ministry of Justice and the CTA of LuxDev LAO/031, formally opens the Legal Aid Office.

On the 25th March 2019, under the auspices of Project LAO/031, a high-ranking justice ministry official lauded the launching of a legal aid office in Khammouane, stating that it will improve and ensure effective access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized groups in the province. Vice Minister of Justice H.E. Bounsavath Boupha also expressed his gratitude that the legal aid office was established in Khammouane where the first trainings on good practices and legal aid implementation guidelines will be provided to Justice Officers from 10 districts.

In 2018, the government of Laos issued a decree that adopts and spells out procedures for the implementation of legal aid programmes. Consequently, LAO/031 aims to establish at least one (1) legal aid office every year in the provinces identified in the Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP) between the Government of Laos and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.

Reginald M. Pastrana, LuxDev Chief Technical Advisor of LAO/031, emphasized that the establishment of a legal aid office is only the start and that the project would provide further trainings to support these structures moving forward. Furthermore, trainings will also be delivered by volunteers the Lao Bar Association (LBA) who have committed to providing pro bono legal aid services to eligible beneficiaries. These include poor and vulnerable groups, people with disabilities and vulnerable children, among others. Legal Aid generally involves the provision of information, consultations, and court or trial representatives

Vice Minister of Justice Boupha also took note of the ambitious goal of the Ministry of Justice to have one legal aid office unit in every district administration office. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the Project LAO/031 in expressing its support in setting up at least four (4) legal aid offices and providing capacity building trainings to the legal staffs who will be maintaining these offices.

After the launch of the legal aid office, Mr. Pastrana, together with various government resource persons, conducted lectures and capacity development workshops for staff of the new legal aid office. It is expected that this provincial legal aid office will help people overcome legal issues, involving land disputes, family issues, sexual violence, victims of injustices and other legal problems afflicting the local population. Combined with the planned activities on raising legal awareness and providing training to Village Mediation Committees, LAO/031 aims to ensure that access to justice is inclusive and supported at the grassroots level.

↑ To the top
- 8 February
- By Mone SYSAVATH
- Asia Office LAO/030
- Socio-economic development
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Luxembourg provides support on nutrition in Bolikhamxay and Vientiane Province
The Local Development Programme LAO/030 and Caritas Luxembourg join hands in supporting the nutrition sector in the Lao PDR.

An Executing Agreement (EA) on Nutrition convergence support in LAO/030 target provinces between LuxDev, Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency and Caritas was signed on 8th February 2019 at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Vientiane Lao PDR.

The EA was jointly signed by the Managing Director of LuxDev, Mr Gaston Schwartz and the President of Caritas Luxembourg, Mrs Marie-Joseé Jacobs. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’Affaires of the Luxembourg Embassy in Vientiane, and by senior Lao officials from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Health.

This joint support is part of an ongoing development effort of the Luxembourg Aid and Development’s contribution to poverty reduction in Laos, including malnutrition and hunger.

The overall objectives of the Nutrition convergence are to:
- strengthen the coordination among government agencies and civil society in nutrition;
- build capacity of local authorities and Lao civil society; and
- assist in awareness raising of nutrition at community level in the programme target areas in the two provinces.
The total budget for this project is 312,740 EUR. It will run from February 2019 to December 2020.

This collaboration focusses on improving nutrition through better coordination of the Lao Government’s multisectoral nutrition convergence approach. Caritas will support the provincial nutrition committees in two of the Lao-Luxembourg target provinces, Bolikhamxay and Vientiane.

Caritas already has experience with similar work in Xiengkhuang Province, and thereby brings both expertise and credibility to the table. Caritas will also be able to facilitate the inclusion of other NGOs and non-profit associations in the network coordinated by the provincial health departments.

At the same time, the Local Development and the Health Programmes are funding numerous nutrition-related activities in the two provinces, which will benefit from the enhanced coordination by the provincial authorities. These investments will also give leverage to the joint work towards real impact on nutrition in poor communities supported by Luxembourg Aid and Development.

↑ To the top
- 7 February
- By Sandrine THINNES
- Asia Office MYA/002
- Socio-economic development
- Share Tweet
MYANMAR - How to operate and maintain a water distribution system
The project MYA/002 proceeded with setting up village water committees in the 6 villages that benefitted from the installation of a household water distribution system in 2018. These water committees will be in charge of its own operation and adequate maintenance of those systems.

Village Water committee of Che Nar Dea

Each of the 6 water committees was trained on how to draw their water distribution system map, the general functioning of the water distribution systems, the use of the tools and spare parts in the maintenance kit, and also the chemical and physical characteristics of water.

For some it has been a long time since they sat in a class room

Drawing the map of their water system

Given that most of these villages are located in a very remote area and access to education is very limited, the training was delivered in an applied learning by doing approach. Also, many villagers have never used tools such as wrenches or screwdrivers and need to get familiar with their use first.

Checking the pH level of the water

Apart from the schematics and the mechanical aspects of the water distribution systems did the project’s Operation and Maintenance expert also focused on team building and managerial aspects of the new water committees. Villagers are used to working with members of their family and have yet to fully understand the concepts of communitary work on common assets belonging to the village as a whole. The sharing of responsibilities and working in a team will be crucial for the proper maintenance of their respective water distribution systems.

Pulling on one string to achieve the common goal.

Water Committee of Ba Ngoo village
↑ To the top
- 1 February
- By Frank HAEGEMAN
- Asia Office LAO/027
- Health
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Nurses and midwives receive short-term scholarships on High Risk Pregnancy and Nursing Care Management
Six young nurse-midwifes from Bolikhamxay, Vientiane and Khammouane provincial hospitals recently received a 4-month training scholarship on “High Risk Pregnancy Management “at the Boromarajonani College of Nursing in Khon Kaen (BCNKK) in Thailand.

In addition, the project offered scholarships to six young nurses, who are now working in intensive care or emergency units in the above-mentioned provincial hospitals. These students will study “Nursing Care Management for Trauma Patients" at the University of Khon Kaen, Faculty of Nursing.

These 4-month intensive upgrading courses target the education of young and dynamic candidates. In terms of the beneficiaries, there is an even split between civil servants and volunteer staff.

Investing in human resources for health is part of an ongoing effort of the LAO/027 project that aims to improve performance of health services delivery particularly for Maternal Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) activities in the project areas.

Scholarship recipients, second row and four at the back row from the left.
↑ To the top
- 25 January
- By Philip Pearce
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Training Programme on International Law and Human RightsThe four-day training strengthened university lecturers’ knowledge of International Law
The first of two training workshops on International Law and Human Rights took place in Savannakhet from 8 – 11 January 2019. The activity, jointly supported by the European Union’s Citizens’ Engagement for Good Governance and Accountability (EU-CEGGA) Programme and LuxDev LAO/031 project in coordination with the Department of Treaty and Law (DTL) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) of the National University of Laos, aims to consolidate and complement the legal knowledge of lecturers from the FLP, the Faculty of Law and Administration (FLA) of Champasak University, and Savannakhet University.

Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Bounkhong Phetdaohoung, Head of the International Relations Department of the FLP, Mrs. Viengvone Kittavong, Deputy Director General of DTL, Mr. Bryan Fornari, Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the EU to Lao PDR, and Mr. Reginald Pastrana, Chief Technical Advisor of LAO/031. During four days, the participants benefited from an interactive training on international law - how it evolved and developed, its sources and especially its relationship with domestic law. Other insightful topics taken up involved jurisdiction and sovereignty, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and the role of the United Nations and regional organisations in shaping international law. A core subject of discussion throughout the workshop was the application and adoption of international law and obligations into Lao law.

Two resource people from the DTL presented the final two topics. One presenter was Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, a human rights expert, a practicing lawyer and a Member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka who has previously worked in Lao PDR. He presented a number of legal jurisprudence cases from his native country. Dr. Jayampathy encouraged the active involvement of the participants and recommended that they use their existing expertise in specialised subjects.

The training also fulfilled the lecturers’ different needs:
- it provided them an opportunity to consolidate their knowledge of law;
- answered their specific areas of interest and removed doubts; and
- learned them legal concepts in English.
By engaging local experts in the DTL, and by targeting lecturers as beneficiaries, it is hoped that this activity will promote sustainable results and provide knowledge that the teachers could apply and share in their own lectures.

This activity marks the developing coordination between LAO/031 and the EU-CEGGA programme. Further cooperation is taking place with regard to the sourcing of books for the FLP Library. It was announced that the second training workshop will be scheduled later this year.

↑ To the top
2018
- 21 December
- By Philip Pearce
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Promoting Research in Support of the Rule of LawFirst-ever National Legal Research Forum takes place at the Faculty of Law and Political Science
The National Legal Research Forum, organised by the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) with the support of Project LAO/031, took place on the 19th December in Vientiane with the aim of creating a platform for the discussion of legal issues and for the free exchange of ideas among academics and researchers.

In the context of Lao PDR’s ambition to implement its Legal Sector Master Plan (LSMP) and 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), which would see the country graduate from Least Development Country (LDC) status and become a state fully governed by the rule of law by 2020, legal research and expertise continue to play an important role in shaping legislation and in informing strategic decisions.

For these reasons, the National Legal Research Forum, which is the first of its kind, was a welcome and timely event. Participants included students, teachers, researchers, and other professionals from institutions encompassing the National University of Laos (NuOL), the Faculty of Law and Administration (FLA) of Champasak University, the National Institute of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the University of Luxembourg.

The opening speeches on the Research Policy of the NuOL and the Relevancy of Research in the Promotion of the Rule of Law were given by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Somchanh Bounphanmy, Vice President of NuOL, and Mr. Reginald Pastrana, CTA of LAO/031, respectively. Over the course of the day, 18 researchers presented on various topics, including the village settlement resolution dispute, the death penalty, judgments on road accidents, ASEAN-EU cooperation on human rights concerns, and many others.

With the presentation and the initiation of discussions on such pertinent topics for Lao society, the main objective of the forum was to highlight legal issues and the suitability of legislation, which can act as a feedback mechanism for the Lao government and its law drafters. Moreover, the forum allowed FLP and NuOL members to present the results of their recent studies and will encourage other scholars to carry out new research.

Nine exhibition stands were also set up, displaying the manuals and materials from Project LAO/031, the Institute for Legal Support and Technical Assistance (ILSTA), the Clinical Legal Education (CLE), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and others. All these initiatives have contributed towards improving research capacity and fostering a research environment at the faculty. Notwithstanding, no one is resting on their laurels; the objective for next year’s edition is to expand and render it international by inviting guest lecturers from abroad.

↑ To the top
- 19 December
- By Peter HEERES
- Asia Office VIE/036
- Share Tweet
VIETNAM - Successful participatory planning and implementation of small-scale infrastructure in Cao Bang
The project VIE/036 Wise Use of Water and Agriculture is working in Cao Bang province, situated in the North of Vietnam bordered with China. Cao Bang, has a population of around 500 000 people and about 85% of them live in the rural areas making a living through agricultural production. Although the province is one of the poorest in Vietnam it has a huge potential for agricultural development.

One of the challenges for farmers in Cao Bang is accessibility to production areas/markets and dilapidated irrigation systems. Many inter-village connections are still only mud tracks making it difficult to transport products and goods to and from farms while many irrigation schemes were constructed many years ago.

In mid-2016, the project VIE/036 started to work in four communes with the Commune Peoples Committee (CPCs) applying a Community Development Fund (CDF) approach. One of the key strengths in the work done by the local authorities is the participatory approach in identifying and prioritising the small-scale roads and irrigation systems that require improvements, responding to actual peoples’ needs.

An equally high level of transparency is reached in survey, design, making “Bill of Quantities” and procurement of materials for road construction. The approach has led to a very high level of community participation in the construction of the roads, making this way of implementation is the most cost-effective manner as compared to government invested roads.

Based on the success of the CDF, the four CPCs started early 2017 to improve irrigation schemes (mainly canals) as well. Similarly a participatory prioritisation method was applied as to compare irrigation schemes and using economic indicators or cost-benefit analysis as to visualise where best to invest. The subsequent steps for developing designs, procurement of materials etc. are similar to the CDF component.

The Mid-term review, held in early 2018, confirmed the efficiency and effectiveness of the CPCs lead activities for small-scale infrastructure and recommended an increase in the number of communes. The direct responding to peoples need and short decision making processes are in contrast to the provincial level lead irrigation works. Delays in the decision making and procurement processes at provincial level facilitated the availability of extra funds for the CPCs for small-scale infrastructure. Hence, the project is able to provide 18 communes in Cao Bang funds for 2019 for both small-scale roads and irrigation development. This is providing a challenge for the District Offices who are to support the new communes in all the steps from prioritisation to implementation.

↑ To the top
- 18 December
- By Reginald M. Pastrana
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
- Share Tweet
LAOS - Rule of law and legal education programmes gain momentum
Legal education and rule of law programmes have gained significant accomplishments in 2018. During the second Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of LuxDev LAO/031 held on 18 December 2018, a 5-year project of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Government of Lao PDR; major accomplishments have been achieved on the rule of law and the improvement of the legal education.

On the rule of law as per report of the Institute of Legal Studies and Technical Assistance (ILSTA), the implementing partner of LAO/031, thousands of key stakeholders in the legal sector received legal training workshops and public lectures. Likewise, 426 government officials were trained on English proficiency, 10 court assessments, 101 judges’ assessments, 96 prosecutors’ assessments, 245 anti-money laundering assessments and 301 anti-corruption assessments.

On the development of legal education, LAO/031 has reported that 324 legal educators were trained on various teaching skills, research design and methodology, etc. The project has also completed all the necessary assessments for the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) and the Faculty of Law and Administration (FLA) of the Champassak University-paving the way of developing to the next level of new legal curricula and elevating the said faculties towards higher quality assurance (QA) standards.

During its recent annual review, the PSC approved the project 2018 Annual Work Plan and the 2019 Annual Operational Plan. The PSC that was just conducted were chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khamphay Sisavanh, Vice Minister of Education and Sports, H.E. Mr. Bounsavad Boupha, Vice Minister of Justice, and co-chaired by Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d´Affaires of the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

↑ To the top
- 18 December
- By Peter HEERES
- Asia Office VIE/036
- Share Tweet
VIETNAM - The Wise Use of Water and Agriculture project promotes safe agricultural and specialty products and tourism development in Cao Bang province
The project VIE/036 Wise Use of Water and Agriculture supports Cao Bang province in its agricultural development. Agriculture in Cao Bang is characterised as small-scale and little developed.

The potential of large-scale agricultural development is extremely limited due to the mountainous environment of Cao Bang. However, Cao Bang has great potential with regard to tourism development through its beautiful scenery and the potential exploitation of Cao Bang agriculture specialty products.

The project VIE/036 assisted in the production of a photobook on Cao Bang agriculture “four seasons” specialty products. The book provides information on 16 specialty products, four for each season, the locations where the products are produced, production and processing methods, natural environment, its people and culture.

It enables businesses who sell Cao Bang products to tell the story behind the products. The photobook is currently used by the Cao Bang provincial leadership to give to delegations visiting Cao Bang as a promotion tool.

On the 25th of November 2018, Cao Bang held an investment, trade and tourism promotion seminar. The guest of honour was the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

The prime minister of Vietnam with the book during his speech at the Cao Bang convention centre. In his speech Mr. Nguyễn Xuân Phúc highlighted the importance of market oriented safe agriculture products as a key strategy for economic development.

During the promotion seminar, a video was shown, featuring two VIE/036 staff in the lead roles, promoting Cao Bang province as a tourist destination. The video can be found on YouTube through the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP-BPr6vQms&list=PL_v7cFsAMG-euu9agq9e9mPMp5Lno1GBE. An edited version of the video was used by Cao Bang in its successful promotion to have part of Cao Bang recognized as UNESCO heritage site.
↑ To the top