Laos 20240612: Assertive, Convergent, Aspirational

Mekong Memo Laos Weekly: Business, politics, finance, trade & legal news.

Jun 12, 2024

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Headlines:

PM Reports GDP Growth

UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

ASEAN Senior Officials Meet at EAS

Gov’t Addresses Secondary School Enrollment

Rural Areas See Hope with Nutrition Initiative

Germany Seeks Better Trade and Investment Ties

IP Law Update to Attract Foreign Investment

OECD Report Urges Shift to Human Capital

Thailand Rail Network to Link with Laos-China HSR

Vientiane Prepares Roads for ASEAN Meetings

Record Passengers on Laos-China Railway

PM Reports GDP Growth

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone announced a 4.7% GDP growth for the first half of 2024, driven by tourism, transportation, and agricultural production. Revenue collection improved, helped along by government spending. The Lao kip's depreciation and high inflation, averaging 25.1%, remain critical issues. The National Assembly raised concerns over slow budget allocation, weak agricultural policies, and declining school enrollments.

UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's visit emphasized the need for strengthened human rights measures. Discussions with officials centered on progress and ongoing challenges, including legislative reforms, environmental issues, and poverty. Türk stressed the importance of integrating human rights into sustainable development, addressing public debt, and ensuring civic participation. He called for investigations into enforced disappearances and protection for human rights defenders, urging ratification of the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances.

ASEAN Senior Officials Meet at EAS

Senior officials from ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) gathered in Laos to talk about regional cooperation for peace, security, and development. The meetings centered on preparations for upcoming ASEAN+3 and EAS Summits, reinforcing ASEAN's central role in addressing regional challenges. Topics of discussion included support for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and advancing efforts towards a substantive Code of Conduct to strengthen regional stability and improve collaboration.

Gov’t Addresses Secondary School Enrollment

For the third consecutive year, secondary school enrollment has gone down. In the 2023-2024 academic year, student numbers dropped sharply in both Grade 4 and Grade 7. The Ministry of Education and Sports is trying to get to the bottom of this issue by improving school infrastructure, promoting school attendance regulations, and working more closely with local administrations to alleviate poverty to reduce dropout rates and get enrollment numbers back up.

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