Laos Development Assistance

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Steve Dowall

7:44pm Monday 21 May

Laos Development Assistance

New Zealand's development cooperation with Laos comprises support through a range of NZAID programmes. Principal involvement is through NZAID's Laos country programme. Other NZAID programmes providing support to Laos include a range of regional and contestable funds as well as funds to voluntary agencies.

New Zealand has limited resources and capacity and it is therefore imperative that NZAID focuses on sectors in which New Zealand has comparative advantage, and can add value to development assistance provided by others.

Consequently, in line with NZAID's Asia Strategy goal to eliminate poverty through a focus on sustainable rural livelihoods, NZAID concentrates its bilateral assistance on the development of pro poor tourism and natural resource management. This is complemented by regional and thematic programme assistance for trade and private sector development and human resource development. This is consistent with Laos' National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy and its prioritisation of investment in agriculture and the rural sector in order to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty. Underpinning this is the recognition that the protection of human rights is pivotal to addressing poverty. NZAID's policy to mainstream human rights will be achieved through ensuring a rights perspective in all development programme planning and implementation.

At a provincial level New Zealand's official development assistance in Laos focuses on two main geographic areas in the north - Luang Namtha and Xieng Khouang provinces. While NZAID offers support to a discrete number of activities outside the two focal provinces, such activities must contribute to the overall sectoral and thematic focus of New Zealand's official development assistance programme.

NZAID support to the Laos government includes English language training for officials. A number of project initiatives with government ministries have been funded through NZAID's Asia Development Assistance Facility.

The Laos country programme allocation for 2008/09 is NZ$3.4 million. In addition Laos benefits from funding from regional, thematic and multilateral sources including the Kaihono hei Oranga Hapori o te Ao (KOHA) Partnerships for International Community Development (PICD) scheme, the Trade and Development Programme, the Asia Development Assistance Facility, and support for the Mekong Institute and the Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management. The footprint for NZAID's country programme in Lao PDR may be expanded through these mechanisms.