Aid and development
IACD boosts education and cultural exchange project
The Institute of Asian Culture and Development and the Ministry of Education and Sports will work together to improve education and cultural exchange in Laos after reaching a grant project agreement. The agreement was signed on 19 July in Vientiane by IACD Country Director Dr Hosik ...
NEDA and JICA sign MOU on Mekong sub-region development cooperation
The Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the development of the Mekong sub-region and promote social and economic advancement in the region and foster connectivity along the Mekong economic corridor. ...
World Bank approves loan to poverty reduction fund
On 13 July, the Ministry of Finance signed a US$30 million agreement with the World Bank aimed at continuing to finance Laos’ Poverty Reduction Fund, improving livelihoods and upgrading infrastructure for residents of 150 rural villages in over 40 districts of 10 target provinces. The funding will ...
More Montagnard asylum seekers return to Vietnam
On 12 July, 16 Montagnards – an ethnic mountain minority who are predominantly Christian – were sent back to Vietnam through Ratanakkiri province after most had their applications for refugee status rejected, and all volunteered to go back to their homeland, government officials said on 13 ...
French government gives boost to regional agro-ecology
The Lao government and a French government agency have agreed to implement the Agro-ecological Change in Southeast Asia project after the French government approved 2.7 million euros in grant funding. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Bounkhouang Khambounheuang ...
JICA provides grant for scholarships, bridge repair
The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Japan International Cooperation Agency on 8 July signed a grant agreement for two aid projects for Human Resource Development Scholarships from 2016 to 2020 and Reconstruction of Bridges on National Road No. 9, worth about 2.836 billion yen. The ...
Nearly 4,000 bridges to be built in remote areas
The second phase of a bridge building programme, which aims at building nearly 4,000 bridges in remote areas, will be kicked off next month, said Nguyen Van Huyen, director of the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam. Under the programme, a total of 3,959 bridges, including ...
Fishery sees stronger seafood exports
With easing tension over labour issues in Thailand, the fishery industry expects exports of seafood products to grow by 2-3 per cent this year after a slight drop in the first half. Moreover, private enterprises expect the European Union to cancel its “yellow card” on ...
Japan gives boost to human resource development in Laos
The government of Japan is providing grant assistance of 308 million yen for the continuation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Project in Laos. An agreement was signed on 4 July in Vientiane by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Khamphao Eunthavanh and Japanese Ambassador to Laos ...
US spending bill ties aid to end of government ‘violence’
According to a Senate report accompanying the bill, the vast majority of the recommended budget for Cambodia, $69.9 million of it, would go toward health programs and development assistance. Most of the rest would go to military education and training, demining, anti-terrorism and related programs. ...
