A high-level delegation from Lao PDR, led by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment H.E Madam Phonevanh Outhavong, attended the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference from 15 to 17 November 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, by UNFPA. The delegation was composed of representatives from the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport, Labour and Social Welfare, Lao Women’s Union and the embassy of Lao PDR in Bangkok. More than 40 country members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) attended the conference along with United Nations agencies from the Asia-Pacific region, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and youth representatives.
Key objectives of this high-profile event were to review implementation of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Declaration of Population and Development, endorsed at the Asia-Pacific Population and Development Conference in 2013, as well as identify the models, approaches and mechanisms for good practices, lessons learned, priorities and emergency measures related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030. The conference also focused on recognizing population and development achievements in the region during the past six decades, including opportunities and challenges, and document Asia-Pacific’s population and development achievements in the 30th report reviewing implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development endorsed in 1994. This will provide a reference point for the 57th Conference of the Commission on Population and Development, to be held in New York from 29 April-3 May 2024.
At the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Phonevanh Outhavong delivered a national statement on progress towards implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. Deputy Minister Outhavong, on behalf of the Lao delegation, recognized the importance of the Programme of Action of the International Conference of Population and Development, including its key achievements of integrating the Declaration and Programme of Action into the National Policy on Population and Development and the National Socio-Economic Development Plan. She also highlighted progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action in Lao PDR, including increasing primary school enrollment, access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, family planning and skilled birth attendance, in particular the efforts for the reduction of maternal mortality rate. Deputy Minister Outhavong also shared the results of the first high level conference on Population and Development in Lao PDR held during 22-24 October 2023 in Vientiane Capital, which reviewed implementation of the Population and Development Programme of Action. The conference brought together representatives from line ministries at central and provincial level, development partners, donors, civil society, youth, networks of people with disabilities, private sector and media to identify synergies and strategies to address health, education, skill development, climate change and social sector challenges.
Participants to the NCPD pledged to accelerate implementation of the ICPD PoA and SDGs through 14 endorsed recommendations which were presented at the 7th APPC: focusing on establishing a national coordination committee on population and development, prioritizing and ensuring the use of the 2025 Census and the Lao Social Indicator Survey III to inform the 10th NSEDP for 2026-2030, investing in sexual and reproductive health, ending GBV, strengthening national administrative data governance systems, humanitarian preparedness and response and strengthening partnerships. Finally, the deputy minister reaffirmed the Lao PDR statement on implementation and achievement of three transformative results by 2030 including; Zero preventable maternal death, Zero unmet need of family planning and Zero gender based violence and harmful practices through sustained cooperation with UN agencies, development partners, private sector and civil society. She also highlighted the contributions of development partners in the bilateral, multilateral in Asian and regional frameworks.
On 17 November, the procedural report of the 7th Asian and Pacific Population Conference was adopted by all member states. The report will be a key reference to guide implementation of the Population and Development Programme of Action in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, the adopted report will inform preparation for the 57th Conference of the Commission on Population and Development.
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UNFPA, the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, works in over 150 countries, including Lao PDR, to achieve zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence.
For more information, please contact:
laos.office@unfpa.org
