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LAOS - "If people ask me how I got this job, I just say that I chose the right training”.
Athor, 19 year-old waiter at Amantaka Resortfrom Chomphet District.
NewsFor year 2020 ( View all news )
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- 2020
- 7 January
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- LAO/031
- Governance
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LAOS – “Law and Development from the Lao PDR’s Perspective”Second Annual Legal Research Forum held at the Faculty of Law and Political Science
The second Annual Legal Research Forum took place on 19 December 2019 at the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) of the National University of Laos (NUoL), with the support of the Support Programme for Legal Teaching and Training and to the Promotion of the Rule of Law Concept in Laos (Project LAO/031) and the University of Luxembourg.
The forum was attended by Prof. Dr. Somsy Gnophanxay, President of NUoL, and Assoc. Prof. Viengvilay Thiengchanxay, Dean of the FLP, as well as a number of legal practitioners, academics, students and members from various organisations and the public.
This year’s edition was held under the theme of “Law and Development from the Lao PDR’s Perspective” and included presentations on topics such as tax law, administrative responsibility for water pollution, minimum flows of rivers, labour laws, and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Lao PDR. The majority of presenters were faculty members of the FLP, with the event providing an open space for the discussion of ideas and recommendations on how the rule of law can contribute towards the development of the Lao PDR. Additionally, it allowed FLP researchers, some of whom have recently completed their doctoral studies abroad, to present the results of their research.
The forum was the result of the collaboration between the FLP, Project LAO/031 and the University of Luxembourg. The University of Luxembourg specifically provided its expertise at the event by sending doctoral researcher Mr. Andrii Hubai to present on the investment protection system and the mechanism of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).
The forum complemented a recent conference on different perspectives on good governance and the rule of law, organised by the EU and UNDP. Both initiatives also served as a platform to revisit the progress made under the Legal Sector Master Plan (LSMP), which was adopted in 2009 with the goal of establishing a rule of law state by 2020.
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- MYA/002
- Socio-economic development
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MYANMAR - Nearly 15,000 people in rural areas will have access to information and telecommunication technology
On Friday 13 December 2019, LuxDev, the bilateral development agency of the Government of Luxembourg (via Eastern Shan State Rural Development and Inclusion Project, MYA/002), and Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), a Myanmar government entity (as “Service Provider”), signed an agreement for the purchase, turnkey building, installation and future operation of three Telecom towers in the Township of Keng Tung.
The agreement, which lists required services in the form of basic data and voice communications, is part of a series of parallel interventions adopting a holistic approach towards rural development and inclusion in three designated target areas in Eastern Shan Stage. The area where the services will be delivered from mid-2020 onwards includes almost 15,000 beneficiaries and is situated to the south-west of Keng Tung city (Nam Khat, Nam Inn, Nar Paw, Ming Inn and Naung Taun – commonly referred to as the “5 Tracts”).
The counterpart agency assigned to the project is the Department of Rural Development (DRD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. The other ministries and/or organisations involved are the General Administration, Rural Roads, Agriculture, Livestock and Education departments.
The two objectives of the Eastern Shan State Rural Development and Inclusion Project - MYA/002 are to improve the means and resources for legal livelihood activities of the local communities and to promote interaction, interdependence, cooperation and capacity in the community's development of participatory governance.
Project MYA/002, now at the end of its second year, has a 5-year duration and a total budget of 10 million EUR from the government of Luxembourg (in addition to a range of alternative Myanmar contributions).
Since development prospers with cooperation and interdependence, first and foremost the initiative aims to involve and serve villagers in need of food, water, electricity, better productive/agricultural activities, mobility and communications. These necessities all require consistent cooperation and interdependence, which is to be gradually formalised in committees at Township, Tract, Village and Community levels.
The delivery of communications represents the promotion of innovation and will strengthen the information network, specifically in the 5 Tracts, and this will thus enable more people to appreciate common interests and the need to cooperate in change, to gain shared knowledge, and to learn by themselves.
The project sought a cost-sharing agreement with MPT for the provision of hardware and subsequent communications services, with the latter falling under the full responsibility of MPT. Earlier in 2019, MPT already built a tower and started operations; thereby reaching the 5 Tracts target area.
In consultation with the community, the project will support the provision of phones, radio and internet access for key persons. High priority actors and key beneficiaries are hence a few thousand learners in some 20 schools, between 40-50 teachers, approximately 100 village elders in literacy and information, an estimated 200 village committee members in different technical areas, some 500 leading female and male farmers, some 1500 following farmers (wetland, upland, livestock and post-harvest technologies), possibly some 1000 short-term workers (some with repeat assignments) on tracks and roads and about 100 Myanmar Government staff from six different sectors who will gain knowledge and skills from implementing their responsibilities in planning, execution, maintenance, monitoring and reporting.
Communications will be closely monitored so as to learn from the uptake and the developmental effects of this intervention in this area, compared with an unconnected “control area” in another Township or District of Eastern Shan State.
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