Vientiane, Lao PDR - On the 11th of December, the Government of Lao PDR together with UNFPA, UNDP, and the German Embassy gathered together all partners and stakeholders to reiterate the shared commitment of ending  gender-based violence (GBV) by 2030 and to take stock of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign in Lao PDR over the period of November 25 - December 10, 2023.

The annual 16-day campaign was launched with the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 24th of November in Vientiane with a high-level advocacy event, where Vientiane’s landmark, the Patuxay monument, and many buildings around the city lit up in orange. At the launching ceremony at Patuxai, a video message from the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Sonexay Siphandone was broadcast, which included the nation’s high-level commitment to prevent and respond to GBV, with the subsequent dissemination of the statement  in the national  broadcast and print media. The Prime Minister declared that “the time has come for us to invest more in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls” and included ten key actions  to eliminate GBV.  At the launch, the President of Lao Women’s Union, Mme. Aly Vongnorbountham called  on  all government sectors, development partners and stakeholders to jointly invest in the prevention and response to violence against women and girls. Dr. Bakhtiyor Kadyrov, UNFPA Representative said “Each one of us, in our own capacities, has the power to effect change. Government sectors, donors and development partners, civil society constituents and the private sector have unique and specific roles to invest in ending violence against women and girls.” 

Under the theme: “Unite! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”, the 16 Days of Activism turned out to be not merely an awareness raising campaign, but an opportunity for national and international partners to demonstrate their ownership, engagement, and commitment to invest and act on the path to zero GBV.  This year's commemoration brought together over 50 partners from the various government sectors, development partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

The campaign was characterized by comprehensive outreach activities and community mobilization events in more than eight provinces, also involving women from various ethnic groups, women and girls with disabilities  and LGBTQIA+ in the very spirit of reaching the furthest behind first. Amongst the activities were Civil Society Fun Fair, panel discussions on cyberbullying, awareness raising sessions for students in secondary schools, universities, and communities and consultations with academia on online violence against women and girls. Sports and innovative arts, including mini-marathons and art competitions  were used to sensitize young people of gender equality and increase their awareness of different forms of GBV.    

It is also worth taking note of a south-south cooperation initiative during the 16-day campaign. Thailand’s International Cooperation  Agency and UNFPA visited  the Provincial Counseling and Protection Centre for Women and Children and Bokeo Hospital Union. Sewing materials were handed over for women’s economic empowerment. This is in addition to the opening of new protection shelters for survivors of violence in Bolikhamxay and Champasak due to the financial contribution by the Government of Japan and UNFPA’s technical support in partnership with UN-Habitat. The functioning and operations of the new shelters and one-stop service centers for GBV survivors will be supported by trained staff and  guided by the standard operating procedures on health, social and legal support services secured by the ‘Khan Hom’ project generously funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea.

One of the key milestone events during the campaign was the official launch of the 10th Periodic Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by the Government of Lao PDR on 27th of November, recognizing the overall progress and the need for further actions, policies and legal framework to promote gender equality  and women’s empowerments and address GBV in the country. 

With over 50 partners joining hands in the UNFPA-led joint campaign, the year’s 16-day campaign not only succeeded in   raising awareness but also  reinforcing calls for increasing investments in the implementation of national policies and action plans to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.

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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