News

2020
- 9 October
- By Reginald M. Pastrana
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
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LAOS - Government approves strategic plan for legal sector
After several strategic planning exercises and thorough consultations with officers of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the five-year strategic plan (2021-2025) was finally approved by the ministry. The MoJ is now disseminating this strategic plan so that it can be carried out effectively by the justice ministry at the central, provincial and district levels.

Mr. Ketsana Phommachanh, DG of the Department of International Cooperation (right) and Mr. Khamphone Sipaseuth, Chief of Cabinet chaired the strategic planning exercise on 28 October 2019, © LuxDev

It must be restated that the Lao PDR is following the Legal Sector Master Plan (LSMP) which was officially adopted by the government on 11 September 2009 and which spells out the framework to develop and capacitate legal sector institutions as a foundation for the Rule of Law. The plan is supposed to end this year.

Mr Xaysi Santivong Minister of Justice chaired the disseminations of the new strategic plan of the MoJ with several senior officials, © LuxDev

Last year, the Support programme for legal teaching and training and to the promotion of the rule of law concept in Laos, LAO/031, extensively supported the MoJ to conduct strategic planning exercises: from developing the MoJ’s vision and mission statements, formulating its ethical standards, and identifying its strategic goals and objectives. To identify goals and objectives, the MoJ, through the Project, undertook several SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analyses, including the proper establishment of SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) targets.

Group working at the technical workshop for MoJ staff on strategic planning exercises, © LuxDev

The MoJ is now widely and publicly disseminating this five-year (2021-2025) strategic plan which envisions the following goals, objectives and targets:
- to develop and amend at least 50 laws;
- to improve law dissemination networks using various forms and approaches to reflect real contexts;
- to promote legal awareness in society;
- to promote citizen engagement in law dissemination campaigns through television programmes (240 times); through radio programmes (840 times); and to conduct 15 local law dissemination campaigns each year;
- to publish 42,000 copies of legal and justice journals and 30,000 copies of laws;
- to foster and supervise judgement enforcement agencies across the country with the intent to enforce 50% of pending and new judgements, 20% of which should be successful enforcement with completion and file case closure;
- to complete the improvement of court notary work pending in 20 districts in order to meet social demands;
- To settle 80% of the total number of economic disputes, to strive to gradually upscale the Economic Dispute Settlement Center and transform it into a macro Economic Dispute Settlement Agency, to study and issue secondary legislation on economic dispute settlement under the Lao Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI);
- to foster the development of 10 model villages per district to reach the total number of 7,400 villages, and provide legal services through legal aid offices across the country to reach 200,000 users;
- to provide services through village mediation committees across the country in order to reduce the number of disputes to 15,000 cases;
- to provide five (5) sessions of professional trainings to 500 judges, prosecutors, lawyers, legal practitioners and law students;
- to provide 45-day trainings to 1,000 local staff to reach the total number of 5,000 staff member in five (5) years;
- to provide law studies to 500 first-degree students yearly to reach the total number of 2,500 students in five (5) years;
- to train 500 high-degree law students yearly to reach the total number of 2,500 students in five (5) years;
- to train 1,000 Master Degree in Law students to reach the total number of 5,000 students in five (5) years; and
- to provide short-term training to 200 staff of the justice sector yearly using the government's budget to come up with 1,000 staff members in five (5) years.
Participants at the technical workshop for MoJ staff on strategic planning exercises, © LuxDev

At this stage, the strategic plan can guide the MoJ and Project LAO/031 to draft the 2021 Annual Operational Plan, which in turn can inform various development partners on how they can align their support to the legal sector.

The Support programme for legal teaching and training and to the promotion of the rule of law concept in Laos, LAO/031, is funded by the Luxembourg Cooperation and implemented by LuxDev.

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- 9 October
- By Reginald M. Pastrana
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
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LAOS - New legal curricula introduced at the faculty of law

As part of the ongoing efforts of Project LAO/031, entitled “Support Project to Legal Teaching and Training and to the Promotion of the Rule of Law Concept in Laos”, since 2017, a systemic and integrated approach to enhance the quality assurance of legal education in the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLP) at the National University of Laos (NUoL) has been underway.

In keeping with the FLP’s vision of becoming an excellent educational institution in human resource development in the fields of Law, Governance and International Relations, while fitting the changing needs at the domestic, regional and international levels; the Dean, Vice Deans, Division Heads, Heads of Departments and faculty members collaborated with two international and regional experts, Mr. Johnson Ong of the National University of Singapore and Dr. Ngoc Nguyen Thi, in reviewing and revising the curricula of the five (5) bachelor degree programmes, namely:
- International Relations;
- Business Law;
- Criminal Law;
- Civil Law; and
- Political Science.
The review and revision of the new curricula followed a series of capacity building workshops and consultations on outcome-based education, ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) standards, stakeholders’ needs and analysis, self-assessment reports, internal quality assurance development and documentation and quality assurance assessment.

(insert Photo 2)

With regard to the bigger picture of legal development in the Lao PDR and the region, the curricula of the five bachelor degree programmes were revised, updated and implemented in the academic year 2019-2020 at the FLP. The new curricula took into consideration the ASEAN Qualification Reference Framework, the National Qualification Framework, AUN-QA standards and the various needs of the legal and labour market.

(insert photo 3)

One of the principle aspects of this process was the need to improve the programme learning outcomes, which are now based on four critical qualification domains including legal knowledge, practical skills, application and social attitude. The overall aim of the revised curricula was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education in the legal domain. Furthermore, it aims to facilitate both student and labour mobility within ASEAN and seeks to prepare the students and graduates for a new world that is being shaped by new technologies and globalisation.

To further ensure the sustenance of quality legal education at the Faculty of Law, continuous effort are being made to enhance and improve the quality standards of the law programmes and to prepare the faculty for AUN-QA certification in 2021.

(insert photo 4)

The Support programme for legal teaching and training and to the promotion of the rule of law concept in Laos, LAO/031, is funded by the Luxembourg Cooperation and implemented by LuxDev.

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- 6 October
- By Equipe NIG/025 & Manon Lienard
- Niger Office NIG/025
- Agriculture, forestry and fishery
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NIGER - Développement rural : une synergie d’action grâce aux associations de producteurs
La culture de la pomme de terre est intéressante pour diverses raisons. D’un point de vue agronomique, sa culture est aisée et, en saison sèche et fraîche, son potentiel de rendement est important. De plus, la culture se réalise à un moment où l’agriculteur peut y consacrer du temps (hors saison des pluies). D’un point de vue nutritionnel, elle se classe parmi les plantes à racine ou à tubercules les plus nutritives. Elle est cependant peu cultivée en Afrique de l’Ouest en raison de contraintes récurrentes : la difficulté de se procurer du plant (qui provient de l’Europe), un manque de moyens de production, peu de possibilités de conservation du produit et peu ou pas de formation et d’organisation des producteurs. Dans les localités de Doutchi et Matankari, dans la région de Dosso, la synergie qui s’est créé entre les jeunes agriculteurs et une association de producteurs, soutenue par les actions du programme NIG/025, a permis de lever ces contraintes.

Extrait d’un reportage d’un journal local sur le phénomène de la production de pomme de terre dans cette région

Dans le cadre du troisième Programme indicatif de coopération (PIC) qui couvre la période 2016-2020, l’objectif du Programme d’appui au développement agricole durable dans la Région de Dosso (NIG/025) est aligné sur l’Initiative « les Nigériens Nourrissent les Nigériens » (I3N). Il vise à augmenter les opportunités économiques pour les jeunes de la région de Dosso dans les métiers liés aux filières agricoles. Dans ce cadre, le programme prévoit le suivi du parcours des jeunes vers une installation réussie. La stratégie d’insertion des jeunes agriculteurs se réalise à travers trois activités :
- la formation;
- le conseil agricole ; et
- l’installation à travers le crédit agricole.
La mise en place d’infrastructures structurantes publiques complète cette stratégie en favorisant les conditions de conservation et de vente des produits agricoles.

Les jeunes de Doutchi et Matankari ont donc reçu une formation en maraichage, un appui-conseil pour le montage de leur exploitation agricole et l’accès à un crédit adossé à une subvention auprès de la Banque agricole du Niger (BAGRI). Dans leur situation, c’est toutefois l’investissement hors du commun de la fédération des coopératives maraichère de Niger (FCMN Niya) qui leur permet d’obtenir des résultats exceptionnels. Le suivi offert par la FCMN auprès de ces jeunes consiste notamment :
- en fourniture des semences et intrants agricoles aux jeunes (pour les jeunes encadrés par le NIG/025 ces intrants font partie du prêt BAGRI / pour les autres c’est la fédération qui donne à crédit en attendant la récolte) ;
- en un appui technique pour la production de la pomme de terre ;
- en l’achat de la production avec paiement immédiat au jeune (donc des achats groupés pour l’ensemble des jeunes aux prix unitaire fixe) et stockage de la pomme de terre dans les magasins de la fédération et commercialisation ;
- à un appui au recouvrement du crédit des jeunes : versement sur le compte des jeunes ouvert à la BAGRI, des sommes à payer par les jeunes pour l’échéance de remboursement.
Ces appuis donnent lieu à des réussites exemplaires. Ainsi, le jeune Hamissou Ousmane a atteint le record de 12 tonnes de pommes de terre produites cette année. Il est actuellement considéré comme un « jeune expert » en production de pomme de terre et est parfois sollicité pour former d’autres jeunes dans le Région de Dosso.

Ce succès incite même d’autres agriculteurs, non formés par le programme, à se lancer dans la culture de la pomme de terre. Selon le maire de la localité de Magé Maikaba, les jeunes qui pratiquent la culture de la pomme de terre sont assurés d’un bénéfice d’au moins 1 million de de FCFA par récolte, ce qui, pour le Niger, constitue un revenu très confortable. Une dynamique est lancée, qu’il convient de faire perdurer, pour le plus grand bénéfice des jeunes installés par le programme NIG/025.
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- 24 September
- By Emma Aguinot
- Asia Office LAO/030
- Socio-economic development
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LAOS - Luxembourg response to food insecurity during COVID-19 pandemic in rural areas

Mrs. Onkeo, 35, married with four children, Namuang village, Fouang District, Vientiane province, © LuxDev

My main source of income is rice farming but what we harvested is not enough. I work as a daily farm labourer to have additional money to buy food. The rice support will help because we will not spend a lot now for rice. I am very happy with the support from the project. The project also supported us to construct our latrines

Mrs. Vanh, 50, mother, Houaypamak Village, Met District, Vientiane province, © LuxDev

I received 80 kilograms of sticky rice. This will be a big help for us during the lean season. It means that I can save money for buying rice. I will buy salt, other food items and other necessities with the 400,000 LAK that I received. I am very happy and thankful to the project because it also supported me with housing materials and with the construction of my latrine.

Mrs. Kiao, 39, mother of five children, Daendin village, Kasi District, Vientiane Province, © LuxDev

I am very happy with the project. It has supported us in many ways such as with the repair of the water system; we don’t need to walk far to get water these days. It also supported the villagers to construct latrines which made the village cleaner, and now it provided us with rice, which will last up to two months and reduces my burden of working outside to earn money.”I am very happy with the project. It has supported us in many ways such as with the repair of the water system; we don’t need to walk far to get water these days. It also supported the villagers to construct latrines which made the village cleaner, and now it provided us with rice, which will last up to two months and reduces my burden of working outside to earn money.

The coronavirus was declared a pandemic on the second week of March 2020. By March 30, the Lao government announced a strict lockdown for the country and the closure of borders, except for entry of basic food items and medicine. This triggered the massive return of Lao nationals who were working in Thailand and other countries.

In the districts of Vientiane Province where the Local Development Programme - LAO/030 is working, a number of returnees had to be quarantined in schools. Although going to the farms and the gathering of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were permitted, the villagers were not able to find sufficient food. This is due to the sudden increase of the number of people dependent on the natural resources (forests, rivers and ponds) and the increase in the number of people to be fed. Aggravating the condition is that many households did not have a good harvest in the last cropping season and were declared to be rice insufficient. The LAO/030 team coordinated with the villages and districts to assess the actual and projected needs of the villages with special emphasis on those who are rice insufficient, those who are indigent and those households who are supporting members with disabilities. Based on the identified needs from the four provinces, a discussion was held on how these needs may be responded to – initially it was agreed that the COVID-19 response would come from the existing Village Development Fund (VDF). However, with the high level of needs identified, the Luxembourg government decided to provide an additional 1 million EUR dedicated to this response.

Households with rice insufficiency received 60 kilograms of rice, the destitute households received 80 kg of rice plus an additional 400,000 Lao Kip (about 40 EUR), and households supporting members with disabilities were provided with 80 kg of rice. The support also included hygiene kits for the total village population, and an emergency fund that will be used for isolation and for hospitalization in case COVID cases are identified later.

The total value of support to Vientiane Province is 163,947 EUR, benefitting 30,800 people from 41 villages. The officers and staff of the Department of Planning and Investment, District Planning Offices, the Village Development Committees, with the village authorities managed the distribution with the support of the LAO/030 staff from LuxDev.

After the distribution of rice and hygiene kits to the villages, monitoring of the COVID-19 situation will continue. At the same time, implementation of other planned activities such as provision of infrastructure, strengthening capacity of village authorities and Village Development Committees, and implementation of livelihoods development activities under the Village Credit Scheme and village grant scheme will proceed, trusting that these activities will improve the communities’ readiness and resilience towards other possible emergencies and their ability to adjust to the new normal of living with the coronavirus.
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- 24 September
- By Antoine des Graviers
- Asia Office
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LAOS - Luxembourg continues to support COVID-19 diagnostic capacity
The outbreak of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, poses serious risks to global health, safety and security. Indicative of the severity of the threats, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020. From 15 January 2020 on, the Lao Minister of Health requested that the Institut Pasteur du Laos (IPL) take part in the diagnostic testing of COVID-19 in Laos. However, testing remains limited to a few of thousand tests and has focused on patients exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms, in line with the description of COVID-19 symptoms which is provided by the WHO.

Like many other countries in the region and the world, Lao PDR is in the process of re-opening, despite the fact that the daily number of new cases in the world has never been so high. Hence, sporadic imported cases need to be detected quickly to avoid a “second wave” of COVID-19 infection in Lao PDR, where hospital facilities and intensive care services remain limited.

The main purpose of Luxembourg’s support program to IPL is to augment the quantity and quality of COVID-19 diagnostics in Lao PDR via:
- an increase of samples tested; and
- deeper identification of COVID-19 strains by genomic sequencing thanks to new high tech equipment such as RT-PCR machines, centrifuges and automatic DNA extraction machines.
Despite the difficulty of importing such equipment due to the closure of borders, IPL was able to receive almost all of it to this date, with the remaining equipment expected to arrive by the end of September. This already allows IPL virology staff to increase their capacity to process a larger number of samples and, thanks to this support, makes the Lao PDR and the region a safer place.

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- 22 September
- By Aude Labbe-Videau et Virginia MULAS
- Cabo Verde Office CVE/081
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CABO VERDE – L'école d'hôtellerie et de tourisme du Cabo Verde (EHTCV) s'adapte à la situation sanitaire.

L’EHTCV est une institution créée et développée dans le cadre de la Coopération luxembourgeoise. Elle a aujourd’hui neuf années d’existence et forme plus de 600 étudiants par an au marché de l’hôtellerie et du tourisme, marché en plein essor au Cabo Verde. L’école a atteint son équilibre financier et le taux d’insertion des sortants est excellent (80%). Elle fonctionne de manière autonome et bénéficie du support technique du Programme emploi et employabilité (CVE/081).

Réinventer les services

Le Cabo Verde a beaucoup investi dans le secteur du tourisme qui représente près de 25% de son PIB. En 2019, le pays a enregistré l’entrée de 820.000 touristes. L'objectif du gouvernement était d'atteindre un million de touristes par an à partir de 2021, un scénario radicalement bouleversé avec la pandémie de la Covid-19.

Depuis fin mars, suite à la crise sanitaire de la Covid-19 et aux restrictions qu'elle a engendré au Cabo Verde, l’EHTCV, en cohérence avec les mesures dérivant de l’état d’urgence du pays, a travaillé à la transformation de son service de restauration en y intégrant un service de livraison. Cette évolution s'est oppérée en veillant à respecter les mesures d’hygiène requises pendant la pandémie telles que le respect de mesures de production strictes, l'emballage en cuisine et l'utilisation de matériels de protection lors de la distribution.

Partenariats solidaires

Depuis le mois de juillet jusqu’à fin du mois d'août, avec le soutien de l'École d'hôtellerie et de Tourisme et de la Croix Rouge du Cabo Verde, le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, par son ambassade au Cabo Verde, a soutenu la préparation d'un repas chaud par jour pour des personnes âgées et vulnérables du « Centro de Dia da Praia».

L’initiative est un geste de solidarité lancé à l’occasion de la célébration de la fête nationale du Luxembourg, le 23 juin passé. L’EHTCV a pris en charge ce nouveau défi avec un fort engagement en assumant les frais de personnel, d'électricité, de gaz et d'eau nécessaires à la préparation quotidienne des repas. En outre, la Croix Rouge a distribué gratuitement les repas, assurant ainsi la logistique de cette opération. Un mois après son début en juillet, le projet a rencontré un franc succès selon les témoignages des bénéficiaires.

En entretien avec Sergio Sequeira, Président de l’EHTCV, ce dernier révèle que quatres membres de l'EHTCV et huit membres de la Croix-Rouge ont participé à la distribution des repas. (photo ci-dessous)

Nous prêtons une attention particulière à la préparation des repas en respectant les restrictions alimentaires pour les personnes diabétiques ou atteintes d'hypertension. Le retour d'information a été gratifiant et au mois d’août, j'ai eu l'occasion de distribuer les repas personnellement, accompagné du Président et du Secrétaire général de la Croix-Rouge» a-t-il confié.

Sergio Sequeira, Président de l’EHTCV
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- 21 September
- By Laura Heftrich
- Cabo Verde Office CVE/082
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CABO VERDE – En chemin vers une meilleure qualité de l’eau potable

Depuis 2016, le Programme d'appui au secteur de l'eau et de l'assainissement (PASEA) travaille sur l'amélioration de qualité de l'eau au niveau national en coopération avec le gouvernement du Cabo Verde. La qualité de l'eau destinée à la consommation ayant été réglementée par un décret en 2017 (décret réglementaire n° 5/2017), ceci est un sujet relativement nouveau au Cabo Verde. Afin d'aider à mettre en place la réglementation, le programme fournit un appui sous forme d'assistance technique, de formation sur le terrain et de financement d'infrastructures et de matériel pour rendre l'eau potable conforme aux standards d'hygiène et de santé exigés.

Grâce au soutien du PASEA, désormais 7 des 9 îles disposent d'une ligne de base des résultats sur la qualité de l'eau potable (Santiago, Fogo, Brava, Maio, São Vicente, Santo Antão et Sao Nicolau). Ceci permet aux opérateurs en charge, les entreprises inter-municipales et municipalités, de prendre des mesures pour réduire les micro-organismes dans l'eau, de réduire les taux de salinité et de calcaire et de prévenir les maladies infectieuses liées à la non-désinfection is de l'eau.

Désormais l’entreprise inter-municipale « Águas de Santiago », suite à l’appui du PASEA, est en mesure de respecter les paramètres microbiologiques du contrôle de routine prévus par la loi.

Formation en chloration de l'eau - Águas de Santiago (AdS)

Un moyen effectif d'améliorer la qualité de l'eau potable est de mettre en place des systèmes de désinfection. Des nombreuses formations sur les systèmes de chloration les mieux adaptés au Cabo Verde et les mécanismes de désinfection ont été conduites par le PASEA. Ces formations étaient destinées aux 17 techniciens de l'Agence Nationale de l’Eau et Assainissement (ANAS) et aux techniciens des entités de gestion. En outre, les opérateurs ont reçu des formations et des guides pratiques pour garantir le nettoyage et la désinfection des réservoirs. En même temps, une assistance technique a permis de soutenir l'installation et le contrôle du paramétrage des systèmes de chloration et de présenter un rapport avec les résultats de l'impact positif du chlorage sur la qualité de l'eau. Ces efforts ont résulté dans l'installation de 50 systèmes de chloration dans les principaux réservoirs de l'île de Santiago.

Les participants de la formation prennent des échantillons d'eau d’une fontaine publique sur l’île de São Vicente pour contrôler la qualité de l’eau. 15,4% de la population cap-verdienne utilise des fontaines publiques pour s’approvisionner en eau.

Afin d'effectuer un suivi des différentes étapes du cycle de régulation de la qualité de l'eau, un Système d'information réglementaire pour le secteur de l'eau et de l'assainissement (SIRAS) a été mis en place et constitue désormais un instrument de contrôle pour l'Agence nationale de l’eau et de l'assainissement et les entités de gestion. Le plan de contrôle de la qualité de l'eau est planifié pour chaque année, stipulant la quantité, la fréquence, les points de prélèvement et les paramètres des analyses à effectuer. Pendant une année les entités de gestion remplissent les données qui seront consignées dans un rapport sur la situation de la qualité de l'eau potable. Cela permet également de détecter les défauts, d’en identifier les causes et de prendre des mesures de prévention.
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- 1 September
- By Ben Wandivinit
- Asia Office LAO/029
- Education, vocationnal training and employment
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LAOS - Tourism and Hospitality Training Hits Top Gear
The Skills for Tourism Project (LAO/029) is boosting its tourism and hospitality training throughout Laos in 2020 with the aim of upskilling more than 1 400 people working in the sector through a variety of programmes.

High on the agenda stands the Customer Service Training, led by the Institute of Mass Media, Culture and Tourism (IMCT). With different programmes for managers and staff, IMCT will train more than 600 industry professionals in Customer Service across 12 provinces, in partnership with the Provincial Departments of Information Culture and Tourism.

Learning by doing: Front desk staff receiving upskilling training by industry leaders as part of the Pheun Than Heng A Sip (PTHAS) Training Programme, © Swisscontact.

“The programmes have been designed with external expertise to cover the essentials for managers and their staff to provide a quality customer experience to their guests,” said IMCT Trainer Boutsaba Chansomphou. Throughout the year, Ms Chansomphou and her team of trainers are delivering these three-day courses which are based on ASEAN common competency standards for tourism professionals.

In addition to the customer service programmes, IMCT are delivering trainings on employee life cycle management for human resources and general managers to understand and see the importance in the different employment stages their staff experience.

"The employee life cycle consists of the six different phases an employee goes through before, during and after working for an organisation,” explains IMCT Lead Trainer Douangchay Phothichack. “Reflecting on such processes is important as it paves the way to quality employment and a more productive tourism and hospitality sector.” These stages run from offering an attractive workplace, targeted recruitment, and assisting new staff in adjusting to the company, to employee development, retention, and separation.

Building on the momentum generated by the Visit Lao-China year campaign in 2019, IMCT have also launched the China-Ready Training Programme which is in full swing, as trainers provide local businesses with information on Chinese outbound tourism, how to better access this market, and ways to tailor products and services to meet the needs of Chinese tourists.

“Developed in partnership with COTRI (the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute), modules have been adapted to the Lao context,” emphasised IMCT Trainer Lae Keoluangta. He added, “We continue improving the capacity of our trainers through online classes by COTRI and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to learn about the effects of COVID-19 on the Chinese tourism market and post-virus travellers’ needs and expectations.”

HR Managers reflect on the different employment phases their staff experience during the Employee Life Cycle Management Training in Pakse, Photo by EDC.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IMCT are also conducting COVID-Awareness Training for 100 micro and small tourism and hospitality businesses, so that they clearly understand the guidelines on COVID-19 prevention as issued by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MoICT), and to build consumer confidence. Kicking off in Vientiane, the half-day programme trains businesses in establishing practical health and safety measures.

The training is delivered onsite and IMCT provides businesses with a COVID prevention kit consisting of posters to educate staff and customers, thermometers and an initial inventory of facemasks, cleaning gloves, hand gel and cleaning disinfectant. Upon completion of the training, businesses sign a commitment to implementing these practices and receive a certificate which can be used for promotional purposes.

Alongside the partnership with IMCT, the Skills for Tourism Project is also working with Swisscontact, eight provincial hotels associations and the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association in driving the Pheun Than Heng A Sip (PTHAS) Training Programme. During 2020, Swisscontact will be building the capacity of these organisations to train around 300 junior staff working in micro, small and medium enterprises across central and southern Lao PDR on the basics of housekeeping, front office, food & beverage services and food production. Quality assurance support to the local associations is being provided by the School of Tourism and Hospitality at Pakpasak Technical College.

These upskilling efforts are further complemented by the Skills for Tourism Project’s collaboration with DFICT, a respected Lao-owned company, which is currently in the process of training 420 staff on food and beverage, housekeeping and front office services in Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Vang Vieng, which is fully subsidised by the Project.

Upgrading bartending skills in Vientiane and Luang Prabang is another avenue supported by the Skills for Tourism Project. Andrew Mullins, the Spirit House Company Director, will be conducting four five-day intensive training programmes for up to 60 bartenders. Successful graduates receive a professional bartender certification endorsed by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild (UKBG).

Employee Life Cycle Training participants working together on challenges their businesses face. Photo by EDC

Asked about the training programme, Mr Mullins, who has opened more than 100 high-end bars worldwide, elaborated: “The training program is a combination of interactive workbook theory and practical application that improves both the visible skills and background knowledge of the trainees. Our goal is to instill consistent, sustainable and professional bartending practices alongside exceptional service ideals.”

He further explained, “Theoretical modules include cocktail and spirit knowledge and the bartender's contribution to guest experience, while practical classes take place behind the bar with constant hands-on coaching and appraisal to inspire confidence and maximise knowledge retention." The first classes are scheduled for 21-25 September in Luang Prabang and 5-9 October in Vientiane, with additional dates to follow.

With the COVID-19 situation bringing difficult times to tourism and hospitality businesses in the Lao PDR, these training opportunities are provided either free of charge or at heavily subsidised prices to help support businesses in the sector, through the LAO/029 project, which is co-financed by the Governments of Lao PDR, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland, and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
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- 26 August
- By Reginald M. Pastrana
- Asia Office LAO/031
- Governance
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LAOS - Promoting the Rule of Law : Updates on Access to Justice
Project LAO/031 - Support Programme for Legal Teaching and Training and to the Promotion of the Rule of Law Concept in Lao is strengthening the governance programme of Lao PDR, with the support of the Institute for Legal Support and Technical Assistance (ILSTA). The Project assists the Government of Laos (GoL) to address key capacity and structural gaps that limit the effectiveness of the justice system and that inhibit inclusive participation in rule of law reform initiatives, legal education, law enforcement and access to justice.

While the rule of law in Laos is still in a fledgling state, the project has already attained significant milestones: Last year, the project was able to support the establishment of four (4) legal aid offices in the provinces of Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Bolikhamxay and Khammouane; and this year, it is determined to complete the establishment of 15 district offices in five (5) targeted provinces: Bokeo, Luang Namtha, Vientiane, Bolikhamxay, Khammouane.

The project has improved access to justice for many marginalized community members through legal aid services, raising awareness on legal rights among nearly 17 915 people (this number includes views on social media post), and by building the capacity of a total of 3 622 participants at workshops, composed of legal practitioners, legal educators and key players in the government sector. Through ILSTA and their legal skills trainings, the project has enhanced the professional development of both women and men in the legal sector. The project significantly invested in improving the quality and reach of legal aid services to ensure justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people in society.

In this vein, the project and its government partners are currently developing a legal aid “toolkit” to guide legal aid practitioners while a manual for the Village Mediation Committees (VMCs) is being drafted. In a training workshop on legal aid, Ms. Manichanh Chanthavilay, Officer of the Judicial Promotion System Department of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), responsible for the Legal Aid Programme, said that in Khammouane Province, legal aid has already been provided in 71 cases for its citizens, who in turn appreciated the free legal assistance for some vital and necessary legal matters, such as human trafficking and land disputes.

The Vice-Minister of Justice (MoJ), Bounsavard Boupha (left) and the CTA of LAO/031, Reginald M. Pastrana, presided one of the series of workshops aimed at developing the capacity of various MoJ officers.

The project has also promoted the rule of law, while supporting the judicial system to better serve and address the needs of its citizens. The project team worked alongside key government stakeholders to implement reforms, render technical assistance and capacity-development support to provincial legal aid offices. Among the reforms it supported were the legal awareness campaigns and institutionalization of the “Legal Aid Decree” (PM No. 77) and the amendments to the MoJ decree on Village Mediation Committees (VMC), which will become a Prime Minister Decree. Lately, the project is providing support to amend the court enforcement of cases.

The Vice-Minister of Justice, Bounsavard Boupha (right) and the CTA of LAO/031, Reginald M. Pastrana presided over public consultations with representatives from various provinces in the north on the proposed Village Mediation Committee Decree.

During a series of public consultations on the VMC Decree, H.E. Bounsavard Boupha, Vice Minister of Justice, stated that: “The VMC, amidst costly and protracted court trials and proceedings, can provide alternative fair justice to the people of Laos”. He stressed that this VMC Decree shall be patterned after ASEAN best practices by settling small disputes in a more transparent and fair system. As this has now developed, the VMC decree is now with the Office of the Prime Minister for adoption.

ILSTA, through its President, Richard Philippart, together with various government partners, chaired a seminar-workshop on the capacity development of Law Enforcement Authorities (LEA) and several government officials

Responding to the prevalence of human trafficking and money laundering, the project through cooperative efforts with ILSTA, conducted a seminar-workshop series on how to combat these crimes and how the Lao PDR can comply with its agreements with other countries under Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA).

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- 25 August
- By Peter Kurt Hansen
- Asia Office LAO/030
- Socio-economic development
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LAOS - Responding to COVID-19 in rural areas
The Government of Luxembourg has granted 1 million EUR to support people in disadvantaged villages in Laos to cope with the economic and health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The support is channelled through the Local Development Programme – LAO/030, which is working with 150 000 people in 229 poor target villages in the four provinces of Bokeo, Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane.

Household representatives awaiting the start of the distribution of rice, and transfer of cash to destitute households, © LuxDev

While Laos has so far been spared from serious health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 22 known cases and no deaths, the economic impact has been devastating to an already vulnerable economy. The economic fallouts have, as usual, hit the poorest people disproportionally hard. This is the case in the remote upland areas where most of the population lives on less than a US Dollar a day, eked out from marginal farming and supplemented by occasional wage work, remittances from migrant working family members, and small-scale trading. These income sources have diminished and left tens of thousands of people in peril following the lockdowns, the closing of international borders, and the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.

One lady from a destitute household receiving an envelope with 40 EUR in cash. In addition, the family received 60 kg of rice to help bridge the hunger period up to the next harvest 3 month later, © LuxDev

These problems are painfully evident in the LAO/030 target villages, having been selected in the first place for their high poverty rates and vulnerability. Hence, poverty, remoteness, difficult road access, cultural and language barriers, and generally low education levels make the communities ill equipped to cope with the potential spread of the coronavirus and its economic impact. Furthermore, most villages witnessed disastrously low rice yields in 2019 because of adverse weather conditions. In normal years, most people would cope with food insecurity through off-farm work in Laos or even in Thailand. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has undermined such opportunities, while the regular trading in agricultural, handcraft and non-timber forest products have either stopped or seen increased transportation costs that undermines the economic return for farmers. The economic impact of the pandemic means that many people are facing hunger and malnutrition, which will only increase the vulnerability of the population in case of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Rice is transferred from import containers to small truck more likely to reach the village on the muddy monsoon roads, © LuxDev

Rice sacks are stacked in the community school ready for distribution to most food insecure families, © LuxDev

To help alleviate these problems in the LAO/030 target villages, in June 2020 the Government of Luxembourg decided to provide a 1 million EUR additional grant. The objective of the response is to mitigate infection rates, mortalities, and food shortages in the 229 target villages. To ensure the transparency and community ownership to the COVID-19 response, the funds are channelled through the Village Development Fund mechanism established by LAO/030 Project since 2017. This means that the village, district and provincial authorities are cooperating on the need identification, procurement, and implementation through already established mechanisms based on participatory principles.

Staff from the provincial Planning and Investment Department confirm villagers’ identity and entitlements, © LuxDev

Village, government and project representatives keep track on the distribution to ensure compliance with the community’s need assessment, © LuxDev

Various relevant community-led health and food security interventions were identified, which can potentially be supported depending on the local needs, including:

Cash transfer to destitute households for immediate relief;
1. Food distribution to households facing severe food shortage and lacking the means to buy food until the next harvest;
2. Distribution of soap, disinfectants and backpack sprayers for disinfection of houses;
3. Materials for isolating sick or suspected sick people in schools or community halls, such as bedding, nails, plastic sheeting, individual water containers, mosquito netting;
4. Water storage containers and water purification where the regular drinking water supply is running low;
5. Facemasks and gloves for people taking care of sick or isolated people;
6. Emergency funds for hospitalization, transport, and food during hospitalization in case of referral of sick people to health facilities; and
7. Awareness raising and Information material on COVID-19 prevention and control.
Rice grains

According to the community priorities, most of the funds are used for food supplies to help the most vulnerable families cope with food shortages exacerbated by the economic fallouts of the pandemic. In comparison, about one quarter of the funds are allocated for hygiene purposes and the prevention of other diseases to help the villages prevent and control a potential COVID outbreak.

Chomsee Community school, built in 2019 with support of LAO/030 and the site of the food and cash distribution to the most vulnerable families of the village, © LuxDev

Community leaders from each of the villages have identified the families most in need of support. This helps ensure that the support goes to the families most in need. They are grouped into destitute, severely food deficient, and food vulnerable households, and are accordingly supported to different extents. On average across the 229 target villages, an estimated 25 % of the population will receive some level of food support, while the 1-2 % destitute families will in addition receive a cash transfer of about 40 EUR for imminent needs. For the general population, the support focuses on ensuring that the communities have access to hygiene products and knowledge on how prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the families, schools, public offices and health centres.

Aerial photo of Chomsee Village in Bokeo Province. To the right, the new Luxembourg funded school where the rice and cash transfer was organised in August 2020, © LuxDev

The COVID-19 situation and the response by the LAO/030 Project, local authorities, and the communities, have increased the awareness of the need for better disaster preparedness, whether linked to pandemics, natural disasters, or long-term climate impacts. As such, it is likely that disaster preparedness will be an important consideration for future support to local and national development planning.
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