Lao PDR Country Strategy: 2020–2021

This UNESCO country strategy provides a strong foundation for the partnership between UNESCO and the Government of Lao PDR, as well as a platform for dialogue and engagement of UNESCO with its stakeholders, donors, and partners at the country and regional level.

Introduction

The UNESCO Country Strategy (UCS) for Lao PDR outlines UNESCO’s multi-sectoral engagement and cooperation strategy supporting the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) in the achievement of national development priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within UNESCO’s areas of comparative advantage in education, culture, natural, social and human sciences, as well as in communication and information.

The UCS for Lao PDR covers the period from 2020 to 2021 and is aligned with Lao PDR’s 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) 2016–2020 and the Lao PDR – United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPF) 2017–2021. The country strategy is needs-based and demand-driven in pursuit of national ownership and relevance of UNESCO interventions in Lao PDR.

With this strategy, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to further deepen its engagement with stakeholders in Lao PDR in support of the country's journey to graduate from LDC status by 2024, as well as in pursuit of the Government’s Vision 2030 to become an upper-middle-income country, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to turn Lao PDR’s economy into a knowledge-based economy by 2030.

As per its mandate and comparative advantage in Lao PDR, UNESCO provides institutionalized support and technical assistance, convenes stakeholders, acts as an innovation laboratory, and strengthens national capacities through targeted programming that is human rights-based and that promotes the key principles of inclusion, equity, and gender equality.