VIENTIANE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three agencies of the United Nations on Monday jointly signed a Letter of Agreement with Lao government in capital Vientiane on the implementation of their new country program documents in the Southeast Asian country.
The three agencies, namely UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, are starting their new cycle of five-year programming in 2017. In line with all other UN agencies, they will implement the new Laos-United Nations Partnership Framework for the years 2017-2021, reflecting the collective contributions of the United Nations to support Laos in achieving the development goals set by the government, reads a press release of UN in Laos.
Kikeo Chanthaboury, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment stated that the event marks another milestone in Lao government partnership with the UN, as the period 2017-2021 coincides with the last push for Laos to graduate from the Least Developed Country Status to develop into a modern upper middle income country by 2020.
While the specific programs differ in line with their respective mandates, the three agencies share common goals and strategies, as all will collaborate with other UN agencies and development partners to support the achievement of the Eighth National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the additional local Goal 18 on unexploded ordnance and other key national development objectives.
The three agencies will also support policy and legislative reform, capacity building of government institutions, and work on South-South cooperation. Another common theme among the three agencies is the work done for and with young people, an essential component in a country with some 60 percent of its population below the age of 25.
