Brief Background of Laos (1)

8/9/2019 Brief Background of Laos (1)

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I. Brief Background of Laos

Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lane Xang, established in

the XIVth century under King Fa Ngum. For 300 years Lane Xang had an

influence on resent!day "ambodia and #hailand, as $ell as all of $hat is

no$ the %eole&s 'emocratic (eublic of Laos. )fter centuries of gradual

decline, Laos came under the control of the Kingdom of *iam +#hailand from

the late XVIIIth century until the late XIXth century, $hen it became art of

French Indochina. #he Franco!*iamese #reaty of -0/ defined the current

Lao border $ith #hailand. In -/, the %athet Lao arty took control of the

go1ernment, ending a si2!century!old monarchy and instituting a socialist

regime closely aligned to that of Vietnam. From -, Laos slo$ly oened its

economy u to ri1ate enterrises by liberalising direct foreign in1estment

la$s. Laos became a member of )*4)N in -/.

#he %eole5s 'emocratic (eublic of Laos is located in the centre of the

6ekong sub!region, $ith a multi!ethnic oulation of aro2imately si2 million,

and occuies 738 00 km7. #he country is landlocked and has borders $ith

fi1e countries +9urma 73 km, "ambodia :- km, "hina :73 km, #hailand -

/: km and Vietnam 7 -30 km. %oulation gro$th is slightly less than 7; er

year and about 0; of the oulation is aged under 70. Laos is mainly made

u of limestone mountains crossed by the fertile 1alleys of the 6ekong ri1er

and its tributaries. )ro2imately //; of the oulation of Laos li1es in rural

areas and they are mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture. Less than 30;

of the oulation aged o1er - has more than a rimary!le1el education, and

3-; of adults are illiterate. 73; of $omen ha1e ne1er gone to school and

less than ; of $omen ha1e attended secondary school. 'eending on the

ro1ince $here a child is born, life e2ectancy at birth 1aries bet$een : and

83. Laos is still a country $ith under!de1eloed infrastructure, articularly in

the rural areas. It has a rudimentary net$ork of roads and limited access to


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internal and e2ternal telecommunications. 4lectricity is a1ailable in urban

areas and in many rural districts as hydro!electric o$er is becoming the

country&s main e2ort

II. The Developmental Promises of Economics in Laos

). %olitical *tability9. 4ducational *ector". #ransortation *ector'.


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is the Lao %eole&s (e1olutionary %arty +L%(%. #he head of state in 70-7

$as %resident "hoummaly *ayasone. #he head of go1ernment at that time

$as %rime 6inister #hongsing #hamma1ong. ?o1ernment olicies are

determined by the arty through the o$erful --!member %olitburo and the

0!member "entral "ommittee. Imortant go1ernment decisions are 1etted

by the %olitburo. #he first National )ssembly $as elected in 'ecember -7.

Its inaugural session $as in February -3. )s the country&s legislati1e

organ, it o1ersees the @udiciary and acti1ities of administration. #he National

)ssembly, $hich has added seats at e1ery election, aro1es all ne$ la$s,

although the e2ecuti1e branch retains the authority to issue binding decrees.

#he most recent elections took lace on 30 )ril 70--, $hen the National

)ssembly $as e2anded to -37 members. Indeendent obser1ers $ere not

allo$ed to monitor the election rocess. Laos has enacted a number of ne$

la$s in recent years, but the country is still go1erned largely through the

issuance of decrees. 6any ne$ la$s are being assed at this $riting. #hey

are designed to bring Laos into comliance $ith =#A reBuirements as Laos

asired to become a member in the near future. #he country&s %resident is

the head of state, and is elected by National )ssembly for a !year term. #he

%resident also acts as the country&s commander in chief of the armed forces

+Lao %eole&s )rmy. #he "ouncil of 6inisters is the country&s highest

e2ecuti1e organ, and its chairman is designated as rime minister. Its 1ice

chairmen o1ersee the $ork of ministers. (eal o$er is e2ercised by

members of the ruling arty, the Lao %eole&s (e1olutionary %arty +L%(%,

articularly the %olitical 9ureau +%olitburo and "entral "ommittee. ) small!

scale insurgency against the regime that continued since the end of the

Indochina conflict has essentially ended. %ast incidents included attacks in

7003 and 700: against 1arious tyes of land transortation and ublic

markets. #here $ere reorts of clashes in 700 and 700/. In late 7008 and

700/, more than -,000 former fighters and family members $ere estimated

to ha1e surrendered to Lao authorities, and there $ere no credible reorts of


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clashes in 70-0 or 70--. #he Cnited *tates ooses any acts of 1iolence

against the Lao ?o1ernment.

Ane of the ma@or outcomes stated in the Cnited Nations'e1eloment )ssistance Frame$ork )ction %lan +70-7!70- for #he

%eole5s 'emocratic (eublic of Laos isD

By 2015, the poor and vulnerable benefit from the

improved delivery of public services, an effective protection of their

rights and greater participation in transparent decision making

?ood and effecti1e ?o1ernance is a recondition and cornerstone for achie1ingeBuitable and sustainable economic gro$th as laid out in the /th N*4'%. #hus

?ood ?o1ernance is essential for the achie1ement of the 6'?s and 6illennium

'eclaration by 70- to $hich the ?o1ernment is fully committed to. #here is also

a strong commitment to imlement international treaties and to take art in

associated rocesses such as the Cni1ersal %eriodic (e1ie$ +C%( of


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%eole5s (e1olutionary %arty held in 6arch 70-- endorsed a four!oint

breakthrough strategy in order to achie1e the 6'?s by 70- and the graduation

from L'" status by 7070. #he breakthrough strategy calls for o1erall

imro1ement and streamlining of the ublic administration for effecti1e and

efficient ser1ice deli1ery and the strengthening of human resources further

confirming the rele1ance of the ?ood ?o1ernance Autcome of the CN')F. #he

establishment of a national high le1el leading board on go1ernance reform by the

?o1ernment $ill ro1ide the necessary leadershi and o1ersight o1er the

effecti1e imlementation of the reform rocess. #o imro1e the effecti1eness and

efficiency of ublic ser1ices, the CN system $ill de1elo the caacity of the ci1il

ser1ice at national and sub!national le1els including that of the sectors $here the

o1erall olicy, regulatory frame$ork and guidance aly to better deli1er ser1ices

to the oor and 1ulnerable. #he CN system $ill suort those macro!reforms in

ublic administration and $ater and sanitation go1ernance that $ill benefit the

oor and marginali>ed and that $ill enhance efficiency, accountability and

transarency in ublic ser1ice. 4secially caacities at sub!national le1els $ill be

strengthened through decentrali>ed fiscal transfers to better lan and manage

the deli1ery of riority ser1ices. #he suort to the definition and clarification of

centreElocal relationshis is e2ected to further imro1e sub!national ser1ice

deli1ery through strengthening of local le1el lanning and imlementation. 6erit!

based erformance management in the ci1il ser1ice $ill further imro1e the

retention of talented ci1il ser1ants. *uort to the effecti1e use of e1idence based

lanning tools $ill further imro1e the deli1ery of ublic ser1ices. #o ensure a

better rotection of human rights, the CN system $ill suort the imlementation

of the Lao %'(5s Legal *ector 6aster %lan$hich lays out the broad direction of

legal reform to assist the country to become a state fully go1erned by the (ule

of La$ by 7070. "aacity de1eloment for the alication of the criminal and ci1il

la$ and the fight against corrution $ill be central to this aroach as $ell as the

rogressi1e reali>ation of human rights through domestic imlementation of

international human rights obligations laid out in the international treaties the

country is arty to as $ell as rele1ant rocesses such as the C%(. Further, the


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CN system $ill suort the de1eloment of gender sensiti1e and rights!based

labour migration olicies, de1eloment and alication of the la$ on drugs and

crime, domestic 1iolenceEgender!based 1iolence, and the re1ention and

combating of human trafficking, access to @ustice for $omen, and mechanisms to

ensure industrial eace. %ublic legal education, imlementation of international

@u1enile and gender @ustice standards and ro1idingEenhancing access to @ustice

for the oor and marginali>ed are additional imortant elements of an o1erall

strategy to rotect and enhance eole5s rights during a rocess of raid

economic de1eloment and increasing marginali>ation of 1ulnerable grous

during this rocess. #o realise greater articiation in decision making, the CN

system $ill suort eole5s articiation in lanning and monitoring of

de1eloment lans and their access to rele1ant information in order to make

informed decisions. #he suort to the emerging ci1il society and an enabling

en1ironment for it to thri1e and meaningfully contribute to national de1eloment

$ill be an imortant element of this effort. *uorting access to information

though community media and radio $ill hel to bring locally rele1ant information

to communities. )s an institution $ith cross!cutting imact the CN $ill continue to

suort the National )ssembly to fulfill its o1ersight, legislati1e and

reresentati1e roles as it is more and more emerging as the highest institution

$ith considerable imact on key decisions affecting the future de1eloment ath

of the country. *ound la$ making caacities in line $ith international standards

and obligations $ill be essential in this regard

B. Educational Sector

In 6arch 700 the 4ighth Lao %eole5s (e1olutionary %arty "ongress

reemhasi>ed its long!term national de1eloment goal of enabling the Lao%eole5s 'emocratic (eublic +Lao %'( to graduate from the ranks of the least

de1eloed countries by 7070, and to build the basic human and hysical

infrastructure for the shift to industriali>ation and modernity. In order to achie1e

this goal, the "ongress confirmed in that during the eriod 7008 to 70-0

education is to be considered the main focus for human resource de1eloment.


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(eform of the national education system is urgently reBuired for the imro1ement

of educational Buality and standards. #he aims of a reformed national system of

education $ill be to educate the Lao eole to be good citi>ens, to be

kno$ledgeable, to be creati1e and enthusiastic, and to contribute to the

de1eloment of both the country and themsel1es. #hrough education eole $ill

gain emloyment, $ill learn to rotect their o$n health, and $ill beha1e $ith the

integrity necessary to meet the demands of the socio!economic de1eloment of

the country and its gro$ing mo1ement to$ards globali>ation. A1er the last 70

years since the introduction of a market economy, the national education system

has gradually imro1ed in terms of Buantity and Buality. #he current education

system de1eloed through an eclectic aroach, $hich dre$ uon the best

asects from the education system of the colonial era, of the semi!royalist era,

and the re1olutionary era. #he system has also introduced ideas ertaining to

ne$ educationG, dra$ing on lessons learned from e2eriences in other

countries.


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4ducational de1eloment is laced as the central task for human resources

de1eloment aiming for a better Buality of education in order to contribute to the

transfer to industrialisation and modernity by gradually building the basic

fundamentals necessary to sustain socio!economic de1eloment. 4ducational

de1eloment should encourage beha1ior and attitudes $ithin the nation, that take

as their foundation the scientific aroach, friendliness to$ards others and

ractices of modernity in order to gradually mo1e to$ards regional and

international educational standards, as $ell as to be rele1ant to the actual

situation of the country.

Lao eole should obtain full educational de1eloment including being good

citi>ens, being educated, kno$ledgeable, emloyed, caable, inno1ati1e,

creati1e, and enthusiastic about the de1eloment of the countryH and in terms of

their ersonal de1eloment, ha1ing good health, li1ing $ith integrity and

maintaining the re1olutionary ideals of li1ing a roer and uright lifeG in order to

resond to the reBuirements for the de1eloment of the country in the ne$

millennium.

+7 Ab@ecti1es of the National 4ducation (eform *trategy 7008!70-0 at each

le1el of education

-. 4arly childhood educationE re!school le1el

Imro1e curricula, content and methodology of re!ser1ice training and

enhance the early de1eloment of the indi1idual child in the areas of

hysical gro$th, cogniti1e de1eloment, creati1ity, thinking and seaking,

and areciation of beauty in the natural $orld.

42and the net$ork of the model nursery and kindergartens andattached nursery and kindergarten rooms at rimary schools, esecially in

rural remote areas.

6obili>e communities to build nurseries and kindergarten schools.

7. %rimary education le1el


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Imlement the fi1e illars of educationD the intellectual, hysical, artistic,

moral and labor ethics dimensions.

4stablish cluster school net$orks in order to ensure that children 8

years of age or abo1e are all enrolled in schools.

#rain uils in basic kno$ledge and 1ocational techniBues.

(eform attitudes, learning aroaches and creati1ity of uils

"ontinue to achie1e comulsory rimary education

#rain, recruit and allocate teachers based on the roosed lan

"hange learning assessment methodology, in articular for the transition

to uer grades and le1els of education %romote a desire to learn

amongst girls, ethnic grous and children from the oorest families

*uly school te2tbooks

3. *econdary education le1el

Imlement the fi1e illars of education

(eform the general education curriculum by increasing the number of

years of schooling from -- years +J3J3 to -7 years +J:J3

#rain uils in basic kno$ledge and 1ocational techniBues.

(eform attitudes, learning aroaches and creati1ity of uils

#rain, recruit and allocate teachers based on the roosed lan

"hange learning assessment methodology, in articular for the transition

to uer grades and le1els of education

%romote a desire to learn amongst girls, ethnic grous and children from

the oorest families *uly school te2tbooks esecially to mountainous,

rural and isolated areas.


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:. #echnical education and 1ocational training

Imro1e the Buality of the education and training and see that it is closely

related to the modern $orld of $ork. #he training recei1ed by secondary

school graduates, technical ersonnel and technicians should be rele1antto the needs of the economy and the labour market.

4ncourage lo$er and uer secondary education graduates to enter

technical schools at different le1els +beginning and medium $ith targets

from 7,37/ trainees in 700 to 0,000 trainees by 70-0.

4ncourage the ri1ate education sector to establish 1ocational training

centres and technical schools in ro1inces $here this is feasible. %romote

cooeration bet$een the state and ri1ate sector roduction units.

Imlement articiatory ractices in factories. 4ncourage go1ernment and

the ri1ate sector to set u technical and 1ocational training centres.

42and technical and 1ocational schools in all ro1inces. 9y 70-0 it is

e2ected that each ro1ince $ill ha1e a technical school.

%ersist in sol1ing the roblem of a lack of teachers and instructors and

as a minimum try to suly sufficient numbers of teachers and instructors

to meet the basic needs. #rain and ugrade the caacity of teachers,

instructors and educational ersonnel.

#rain technical staff rele1ant to the socio!economic needs of the country.

.


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Cgrade the #eacher #raining *chools +##*s to #eacher #raining

"olleges +##"s. *ome of the ##"s are able to run 9achelor of 4ducation

+94d rogrammes in cooeration $ith the Faculty of 4ducation, National

Cni1ersity of Laos.

Imro1e the Buality of teaching and learning at the 3 uni1ersities aiming

to reach regional standards and enabling links $ith international

standards.

Increase the ercentage of female ethnic tertiary students enrolled in

higher education courses and increase the tertiary student!oulation ratio

from -,08D-00,000 ersons in 700 to -,-:0D -00,000 ersons by 70-0.

8. Non!formal 4ducation

'e1elo non!formal education in such a $ay that it romotes community

articiation in education, targeting life long learning oortunities for all

eole based on their conditions and abilities.

*ystematically de1elo olicy, strategy and non!formal education

imro1ement lans.

%romote 1ocational and basic skill training for the community in order to

stimulate them to articiate in on!the!@ob training and in informal

education.

Imro1e information communication technology systems for non!formal

education.

"arry out illiteracy eradication, esecially in mountainous remote areas.

"onduct ugrading rograms for the rimary education le1el in order to

ugrade to$ards comulsory lo$er secondary education le1el aiming to

reach the follo$ing targets by 7070D reduce illiteracy rate for -!7: year!

olds reaching 0; literacy rate in 70-0, as comared to :; in 700H for

-!:0 year!olds reaching /; literacy rate in 70-0, comared to /; in


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700H for the o1er - year!olds reaching 0; literacy rate, as comared to

/3; in 700H ugrade to a rimary education le1el 3,000 adults in 70-0

as comared to 3-,800 eole in 700H continue to ugrade to a lo$er

secondary education le1el 7,00 adults in 70-0, as comared to -,80 in

700H ugrade to uer secondary education le1el ,000 adults in 70-0,

as comared to 3,8:0 in 700 and ugrade to basic 1ocational training

targeting ,000 eole in 70-0 as comared to 3,000 eole in 700.

(e1ie$, re1ise, de1elo and roduce sufficient national and local

curriculum and materials aroriate to the demands of the target grous.

'e1elo a standard training system for non!formal education ersonnel.

/. Inclusi1e education

Imro1e and romote inclusi1e education for disabled children.

Increase the enrollment of mentally and hysically disabled children

reaching 3,0/ in 70-0, as comared to 7,/00 in 700.

"onstruct secial schools for badly disabled children.

9uild and eBui facilities for inclusi1e education.

#he rioriti>ed go1ernment ro@ects. In order to carry out education reform, the

education sector $ill focus on : rioriti>ed go1ernment ro@ects. #hese ro@ects

are described belo$D

-. #he National 4ducation *ystem (eform *trategy 7008!70-0 $ill increase the

length of schooling in general education from -- years +J3J3 to -7 years

+J:J3.

7. #he uality Imro1ement and )ccess 42ansion %ro@ect consists of 7

rograms ! an access e2ansion rogram and a Buality and rele1ance

imro1ement rogram, $hich are currently being imlemented in the education

sector.


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3. %roblem *ol1ing for #eachers and Instructors and Cgrading the "aacity of

4ducational )dministrators and 6anagers %ro@ect. #his ro@ect is resently being

imlemented through the #eacher 4ducation *trategy 7008!70- and )ction %lan

7008!70-0 +#4*)%.

:. #he e2ansion of technical schools and 1ocational training in all ro1inces

throughout the country, $hich is currently being imlemented $ithin the #echnical

and Vocational #raining 'e1eloment *trategy of the education sector.

#he Lao oulation of :. million is ethnically and linguistically di1erse. #he

go1ernment has defined : ethnic grous, many ha1ing their o$n language.

*chool attendance, literacy, and other indicators of educational attainment 1ary

greatly among different ethnic grous. "ensus data from - re1eal that 73

ercent of the Lao ne1er $ent to school as comared $ith 3:, 8, and 8/ ercent

for %hutai, Khmu, and ation

facilitates educational deli1ery. It is more e2ensi1e to ro1ide schools for each

small 1illage than to build a smaller number of large schools in cities. #hese

rural!urban differences are e1en more significant for ro1ision of secondary,

technical or 1ocational schools gi1en the higher unit costs in1ol1ed. #he Buantity

and Buality of schooling are influenced by demograhic structures and are highly

sensiti1e to the si>e of the school!age cohort.


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#he e2tremely young oulation of Lao %'( uts a hea1y burden on schooling

and, at the same time, the high deendency ratiocontributes to the lo$ national

roducti1ity. Large families force choices as to $hich children go to school,

tending to suress female enrollments and indirectly reducing the number of

subseBuent oortunities for girls in education and in the labor market.

#he education system is e1ol1ing under se1erely constraining conditions of

inadeBuately reared and oorly aid teachers, insufficient funding, shortages

of facilities, and often ineffecti1e allocation of the limited resources a1ailable.

#here is significant geograhic, ethnic, gender and $ealth disarities in the

distribution of educational ser1ices, and ineBualities e2ist in e1ery le1el of the

system.

Shortterm process solution

)ide et )ction +)4) is trying to increase the education of the eole in Laos, by

romoting access to school for the disad1antaged, imro1ing the Buality of

rimary education and suorting and encouraging education rograms for

children migrant and geograhically inaccessible. )4) hoes to re1ent the

e2clusion and marginali>ation that is occurring throughout the country. )4) is

emloying a t$o!rong aroach to tackle this roblem of lo$ education le1els in

Laos. An one hand, it is trying to lay some basic infrastructure, $hich can aid this

effort to increase the national education le1el and literacy rates. ) coule of

libraries ha1e been built and are oerational.

An the other hand, )4) is training locals to be adeBuately Bualified and skilled to

run and management libraries so as to be able to benefit from the libraries.

*chool headmasters ha1e been trained on school management, and teachers

ha1e been trained to use of the rerimary education ro@ect curriculum, class

facilitation and on early childhood education and care, in a ilot hase to romote

reading and rerimary education in Laos.

#hough )4) is trying to hel in Laos, it has been careful and has entailed the

cooeration of local organi>ations, such as the 6inistry of 4ducation. #his is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_ratiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency_ratio


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essential, as )4) being an international organi>ation most robably $ould not be

$ell!1ersed in the local culture and rocedures. ations, it enables )4) to reach areas and eole that it

other$ise $ould not ha1e reached. #his makes the ro@ects more effecti1e

!. Transportation Sector

Laos has $itnessed a steady gro$th in the transortation sector along $ith

greater connecti1ity in the region follo$ing the go1ernment5s enormous

in1estment in the de1eloment of infrastructure. #he road net$orks in Laos no$

e2tends to a total of :3,800 kilometres in total across the country in 70-3, $hichis an e2ansion of more than / ercent comared $ith the re1ious year.

)ccording to a reort from the 6inistry of %ublic =orks and #ransort 8,:8

kilometres of the road throughout the country is not a1ed. #he 1olume of goods

transort is gro$ing by bet$een ! ercent er year, $hile the 1olume of

assenger transort gro$s bet$een !-0 ercent yearly. In 70-7 goods transort

1ia $ater routes reached 73,000 tonnes, $hich is a gro$th rate of --.8 ercent

comared to 70--.


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./ ercent. It $as reorted re1iously that national carrier Lao )irlines

recorded significant increases in assenger numbers in recent years. In 70-0,

Lao )irlines carried aro2imately 00,000 assengers but in 70-7 the figure

@umed to around 00,000. Laos has signed bilateral agreements on air transort

$ith eight )sean countries. #he only country $ith $hich it is yet to sign an

agreement $ith is the %hiliines. *imilar agreements ha1e been signed $ith


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Ather$ise, tra1el is by o2!cart o1er le1el terrain or by foot. #he stee mountains

and lack of roads ha1e caused uland ethnic grous to rely entirely on ack

baskets and horse acking for transortation.#he road system is not e2tensi1e. )

rudimentary net$ork begun under French colonial rule and continued from the

-0s has ro1ided an imortant means of increased inter1illage communication,

mo1ement of market goods, and a focus for ne$ settlements. In mid!-:, tra1el

in most areas $as difficult and e2ensi1e, and most Laotians tra1eled only

limited distances, if at all. )s a result of ongoing imro1ements in the road

system started during the early -0s, it is e2ected that in the future 1illagers

$ill more easily be able to seek medical care, send children to schools at district

centers, and $ork outside the 1illage. In Laos, there are 7-,/-8 km of high$ay, of

$hich ,8/3. km are a1ed, lea1ing -7,0:7. km una1ed. 'ri1ing in Laos is on

the right.Laos has constructed a ne$ high$ay connecting *a1annakhetto the

Vietnamese border at Lao 9ao, $ith funding coming from the Maanese

go1ernment -O. #his has greatly facilitated tra1elling across Laos. #his high$ay

can no$ be tra1ersed in a fe$ hours, $hile in 7007 the tri took o1er hours

along a 1ery bumy +and scenic route. Laos is connected across the 6ekong to

#hailand by Firstand *econd #hai!Lao Friendshi 9ridges. Vientiane is linked to

Cdon #hani using the First Friendshi 9ridge. #he#hird #hai!Lao Friendshi

9ridgebegan construction in 6arch 700 linking Nakhon %hanom ro1ince in

northeastern #hailand and Khammouan ro1ince in Laos. It $as comleted on

No1ember --, 70--. Laos oened a high$ay connection to Kunmingin )ril

700. #he Fourth #hai!Lao Friendshi 9ridgeis under construction and is hoed

to be comleted by 'ecember 70-7 linking Kunming to 9okeo, Laos and "hiang

(ai. It $ill reduce the tra1el time to hours. #his is a cooeration bet$een

#hailand, "hina and Laos.

D. "ealth Sector
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannakhethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_Baohttp://www.langara.bc.ca/pacrim/laos.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunminghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeo_Provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Raihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Raihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannakhethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_Baohttp://www.langara.bc.ca/pacrim/laos.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunminghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Thai-Lao_Friendship_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeo_Provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Raihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Rai


18/40

ation and international integration, in the condition of

market economy under the leadershi and the management of the ?o1ernment,

the climate $arming has facilitated the emergence or re!

emergence of diseases such as


19/40

research...., imro1ement health roduction force+harmaceutical factories,

modern traditional medicinal research centre, traditional medicine factory,

comanies and small factories in ro1inces... along $ith an imro1ement of

ser1ice+roerty right, management and distribution to make it aroriate, good

co1erage, comlete and strongly in Buality in line $ith the key direction to turn

health ser1ice do$n to oulation.

!he follo)ing are the common problems in $ealth of the #aos *opulation%

6alaria

In the first malaria eradication rogram bet$een -8P80, ''# $as srayed

o1er much of the country. *ince -/ the go1ernment has steadily increased its

acti1ities to eradicate malaria. #he 6inistry of %ublic


20/40

oulation. #hese figures reflect 1illage diets based redominantly on rice, $ith

1egetables as a common accomaniment and animal roteinQfish, chicken, and

$ild foodsQeaten irregularly. "hildren aged si2 months to t$o yearsQthe

$eaning eriodQare articularly suscetible to undernutrition. #he nutritional

status of adults is related closely to $hat is being gro$n on the family farm, as

$ell as to dietary habits. For e2amle, fresh 1egetables and fruits are not highly

1alued and therefore are not consumed in adeBuate amounts. )s a result, it is

likely that 1itamin ), iron, and calcium deficiencies are common in all arts of the

country.

"ommon Infection and safety

)s =estern and 4uroean medical industries reorted so much, the en1ironment

in Laos has infectious issues e1en no$. 7O#he go1ernment state ne$saer

RVientiane timesR tells that Laos go1ernment launch imro1ement lans of $ater

and foods Buality. #he tra1el guide RLonely %lanetR also describes this social

reality in their books.


21/40

In Mune 70--, the Cnited Nations %oulation Fundreleased a reort on #he *tate

of the =orld&s 6id$ifery. It contained ne$ data on the mid$ifery $orkforce and

olicies relating to ne$born and maternal mortality for countries. #he 70-0

maternal mortality rate er -00,000 births for Lao %eole&s 'emocratic (eublic

is 0. #his is comared $ith 33.7 in 700 and -7-.: in -0.

#he under mortality rate, er -,000 births is 8- and the neonatal mortality as a

ercentage of under &s mortality is 3. #he aim of this reort is to highlight $ays

in $hich the6illennium 'e1eloment ?oalscan be achie1ed, articularly ?oal :

P (educe child mortality and ?oal P imro1e maternal death. In Lao %eole&s

'emocratic (eublic the number of mid$i1es er -,000 li1e births is 7 and the

lifetime risk of death for regnant $omen - in :.

$ealth &nfrastractures

'esite go1ernment romises that the urban!oriented health system inherited

from the (L? $ould be e2anded to suort rural rimary health care and

re1entati1e rograms, little money had been allocated to the health sector as of

-3. )ccording to figures from -, less than ercent of the total go1ernment

budget $as targeted for health, $ith the result that the 6inistry of %ublic


22/40

harmaceuticals from ri1ate harmacies that imorted stock from #hailandor

Vietnam.

#he number of health care ersonnel has been increasing since -/, and in

-0 the ministry reorted -,0 hysicians, 3,3-3 medical assistants, and ,-:3

nurses. 6ost ersonnel are concentrated in the Vientiane area, $here the

oulation er hysician ratio +-,:00 to one is more than ten times higher than in

the ro1inces. In - the national ratio $as 7.8 hysicians er -0,000 ersons.

#raining medical ersonnel at all le1els emhasi>es theory at the e2ense of

ractical skills and relies on curricula similar to those used rior to -/.

International foreign aid donors suorted lans for a school of ublic health, and

te2ts $ere $ritten and ublished in Lao. )s of -0, ho$e1er, the school did not

e2ist, because of delays in aro1al of its structure and difficulties in finding

trainers $ith the aroriate background.8O

(ural and ro1incial health ersonnel $ork under conditions similar to their

counterarts in educationD salaries are lo$ and seldom aid on time, necessary

eBuiment and sulies are una1ailable, and sueriors offer little suer1ision or

encouragement. In these circumstances, morale is lo$, @ob attendance soradic,and most health care ineffectual. In general, the oulation has little confidence

in the health care sector, although some 1illage medics and a fe$ district or

ro1incial hositals are resected by their communities.

Cse of traditional medical ractitioners remains imortant in urban as $ell as

rural locations.


23/40

In the absence of a $idesread system of health $orkers, local shos selling

drugs became an imortant source of medicines and offered ad1ice on

rescritions.


24/40

from ages t$enty through forty, reflecting a lack of contraceti1e use. 4ach

$oman bore an a1erage of 8. children.

"oules and indi1iduals had the right to decide the number, sacing, and timing

of children, and had the information and means to do so free from discrimination.)ccess to information on contracetion $as generally a1ailableH ho$e1er,

contracetion $as not $idely a1ailable in rural areas and $as often financially out

of reach. #he CN %oulation Fund estimated the maternal mortality ratio to be

880 deaths er -00,000 li1e births. 'eaths related to regnancy and childbirth

$ere the number one cause of death for $omen of reroducti1e age. Very fe$

$omen had access to skilled birth attendants and 1ery fe$ medical centers $ere

eBuied to deal $ith comlicated births, esecially in small, nomadic, and ethnic

1illages. )ntenatal care remained lo$. *ourceD 70-0


25/40

6any countries of the $orld, esecially the de1eloing countries, 1ie$ oulation

issues $ith the utmost urgency.


26/40

health contribute to the 1ery high mortality rate in children under fi1e years of

age.

"hildren bet$een to years of age constitute -.7 er cent of the total

oulation, and this reBuires a substantial in1estment in rimary school

education.


27/40

)rticles 7: and 7/ of the Lao %'( "onstitution state that both females and males

ha1e eBual rights in olitical, economic, cultural and social fieldsH and family

affairs. Lao citi>ens ha1e the freedom of settlement and mo1ement as ro1ided

by la$. #herefore, attention should be aid to both eBuity and de1eloment.

=omen and minorities should recei1e eBual treatment in terms of legal rights,

economic and social oortunities.

#o reduce urban congestion and rural deoulation, the -8!7000 *ocio!

4conomic 'e1eloment %lan introduced a olicy to create %riority (ural

Integrated 'e1eloment )reas +%('). #his lan ro1ides for the creation of

conditions for sustainable de1eloment in the Lao %'(H for access to land and

$ater sources, imro1ement of rural infrastructure and social ser1ices andmaking financial ser1ices a1ailable in rural areas.

#he National 9irth *acing %olicy $as adoted in -. #he document

recogni>ed the imortance of oulation olicy in achie1ing de1eloment

ob@ecti1es and stated that the ?o1ernment is a$are of the imortant linkage

bet$een oulation gro$th and economic de1eloment and reali>es the

imortance of incororating oulation issues into national de1eloment

lanning. #o imro1e maternal and child health and the Buality of family life, the

olicy recommended that the number of children born to a $oman should not be

so large as to imair the health of the mother and lace her at high risk for

ad1erse outcomes. *o far, family lanning ser1ices are a1ailable as a means of

child sacing for health reasons and for the o1erall reduction of maternal and

infant morbidity and mortality.

I.Ab@ecti1e and ?oals of the National %oulation and 'e1eloment %olicy of Lao

%'(.

-.?eneral Ab@ecti1es

-.-. 4nable the eole of the Lao %'(, secifically coules, to reasonably and

resonsibly determine the number and sacing of their children taking into


28/40

account their o$n social and economic conditions, $ith a 1ie$ to imro1ing their

Buality of life and ensuring that the country&s oulation gro$th is comatible $ith

its le1el of socio!economic de1eloment.

-.7. %romote a balanced distribution of oulation bet$een rural and urban areas

and bet$een the different regions of the country, $hile at the same time,

guaranteeing the free mo1ement of eole $ithin the country.

-.3. %romote the de1eloment of the nation&s human resources and their full

utili>ation in socio!economic de1eloment $ith the aim to reduce o1ertyH

esecially among the minority oulations.

7.%olicy ?oals

#o attain the abo1e!mentioned ob@ecti1es the follo$ing olicy goals $ill be

ursuedD

7.-. *uort measures to romote the achie1ement of a rate of oulation

gro$th comatible $ith socio!economic de1eloment and emloyment

oortunities a1ailable $ithin the country.

7.7. 6oti1ate and assist the eole to imro1e their Buality of life by ensuring

safe motherhood, reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality associated

$ith conditions of the reroducti1e system, and enable coules to resonsibly

decide the number and sacing of their children taking into account their o$n

social and economic conditions.

7.3. Imro1e the status of $omen and the ethnic oulations by imro1ing

access to education, health, social $elfare and socio!economic de1eloment.

7.:. %romote a balanced distribution of oulation bet$een rural and urban areas

and bet$een different arts of the country in order to reser1e the country&s

en1ironment, $ith the 1ie$ to ensure sustainable de1eloment.


29/40

7.. %romote and facilitate the incororation of oulation factors and concerns

into all social and economic olicies, lans and rograms, through suort for

data collection and research on oulation and de1eloment issues $hile

simultaneously ugrading the nation&s institutional and technical caacities in the

fields of oulation and de1eloment.

II. *ecific Ab@ecti1e and Imlementation

-. (eroducti1e


30/40

-7/E-,000 li1e births in the year 7000

80E-,000 li1e births in the year 70-0

30E-,000 li1e births in the year 7070

#he total fertility rate +#F( from .8 children er $oman in -, toD

:. children er $oman in the year 7000

3. children er $oman in the year 70-0

3.0 children er $oman in the year 7070

*imultaneously, take measures to increase the contraceti1e re1alence

rate from 3 er cent in -:, toD

7!30 er cent in the year 7000

0! er cent in the year 70-0

80!8 er cent in the year 7070

Increase access to information and ser1ices by encouraging the ri1ate sector

and local communities to articiate in rimary health care, family lanning and

reroducti1e health trainingH esecially in rural areas, in order to enable eole to

areciate the imortance of sacing births for at least 7 to 3 years. )t the same

time let eole determine the si>e of the family that is suitable to their o$n social

and economic conditions. #he ideal is 7!: children for a mother.

%ro1ide adolescents $ith reroducti1e health and se2uality education.

#ake effecti1e measures to reduce un$anted and early regnancies for $omen

under - years of age. )t the same time, romote education of adolescent and


31/40

young adults about re1enting the transmission of *e2ually #ransmitted

'iseases +*#'sH including


32/40

%romote small family si>e through camaigns that emhasise the benefits

it ro1ides to coules. 4ducate the oulation about at!risk regnancies,

esecially for $omen in the early or late states of their reroducti1e life!

cycle.

Incororate rimary health care, reroducti1e health and se2uality

education into the curricula of formal and non!formal education. #hrough

the mass organi>ations, teachers training colleges and higher 1ocational

institutions, enable eole throughout the country, esecially adolescents

and young adults, to be a$are of and understand these issues correctly.

#ake measures to ro1ide information on reroducti1e health and family

lanning 1ia the mass media, such as osters, booklets, ne$saers, etc.,

to schools and 1arious educational institutions.

7.Imro1e the *tatus of =omen and "hildren

7.- *ecific Ab@ecti1esD

Imro1e the status of $omen in socio!economic de1eloment to attain the

follo$ing secific ob@ecti1esD

Increase the literacy rate of $omen o1er -!years of age from : er cent

in -, toD

80 er cent in the year 7000

/ er cent in the year 70-0

er cent in the year 7070

Increase the net school enrolment rate of rimary!school!aged girls, from

8 er cent in -, toD


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/ er cent in the year 7000

er cent in the year 70-0

er cent in the year 7070

Increase the enrolment rate of secondary!school!aged girls from 7 er

cent in -, toD

3 er cent in the year 7000

er cent in the year 70-0

/: er cent in the year 7070

Increase emloyment oortunities for $omen in 1arious sectors.

7.- ImlementationD

#o attain the abo1e secific ob@ecti1es the follo$ing acti1ities should be

imlementedD

Cgrade the caacity of the Lao =omen&s Cnion, the National Front for

"onstruction, the Federation of Lao #rade Cnions and the Lao Touth

Cnion to incororate gender issues into their o$n olicies, lans,

rogrammes and acti1ities.

4ncourage all sectoral ministries to utili>e data on gender in their sectoral

olicies, lans, and rogrammes.

Cndertake gender related research and data collection to e1aluate and

recommend effecti1e olicies and strategies to address $omen and

de1eloment issues.


34/40

(e1ie$, and $here necessary, re1ise or abolish la$s and regulations that

are inconsistent $ith the imro1ement of $omen&s status, or their full

articiation in socio!economic de1eloment.

#ake measures to educate $omen to understand their rights

*imultaneously, make efforts to educate men about $omen&s rights and

the imortance of sharing family resonsibilities.

%romote eBuality in roles bet$een men and $omen in decision making

concerning the family and the de1eloment of society.

*tudy and research the causes of high school &dro!out& rates among girls

and boys and take aroriate measures to resol1e the causes.

3. *tatus of 4thnic %oulations

#o reduce socio!economic disarities bet$een different minorities, measures $ill

be taken to ro1ide oortunities for education, health care and other social

ser1ices throughout the country.

3.-. 4ncourage data collection and research acti1ities on the socio!economic

conditions of ethnic oulations and their cultural dimensions to increase the

a1ailability of information to use in lanning, olicy making, rogram

imlementation and monitoring.

3.7. Arganise camaigns in order to encourage 1arious ethnic oulations to

send their girl children to school and kee them longer in the school system, and

on the imortance to at least comlete rimary education.

3.3. #ake measures to enable ethnic oulations to access reroducti1e health

and rimary health care ser1ices.

3.:. 4ncourage 6ass Argani>ations such as the Lao =omen&s Cnion, the Lao

Front for National "onstruction, the Lao Touth Cnion and other organi>ations to


35/40

articiate in I4" acti1ities on oulation and de1eloment issues for ethnic

oulations.

:.4conomic 'e1eloment

)ccelerate o1erall economic gro$th to absorb the country&s labor force, $hich is

gro$ing at the rate of 7.8 er cent annually, and $hich is e2ected to rise to 3 er

cent in the year 7070. "reate educational and emloyment oortunities in the

rural areas in order to reduce the flo$ of oulation from rural to urban areas.

:.-. )ccelerate rural de1eloment and romote the de1eloment of more stable

emloyment $ithin rural areas in order to reduce the degree of seasonal and

ermanent mo1ement from rural to urban areas.

:.7. 42and in1estment in social and economic ser1ices in rural areas to ro1ide

@obs and social ser1ices for a $ider oulation base.

:.3. 42and and encourage the o$nershi of land in rural areas suitable for

agricultural roduction and encourage ermanent settlement to these areas in

order to re1ent a reduction in roducti1e areas.

:.:. ?i1e riority to in1estment in human resources de1eloment in de1eloment

strategies. %ay secial attention to ro1ide information, education, skills,

de1eloment and emloyment oortunities for the oulation.

:.. "reate the necessary technical and institutional conditions to integrate

demograhic, gender and en1ironmental factors and concerns into social and

economic de1eloment lanning and olicy!making rocesses. #his includes

caacity building in the *tate %lanning "ommittee and sectoral ministries to

integrate oulation factors in their de1eloment lanning, and regular collect

information on oulation and de1eloment.

.'ata "ollection


36/40

*uort data collection and research on oulation, esecially the research

necessary for more effecti1e formulation of olicies, lanning, rogrammes and

imlementation of oulation acti1ities.

.-. Imro1e e2isting institutionsEuni1ersities or, if necessary, set u a ne$

institute for oulation research and de1elomentH for olicy and strategy

formulationH monitoring and e1aluation, as $ell as ro1ide training, education and

research oulation.

.7. Imro1e data collection, management and analysis systems at the central

and local le1el in order to increase the efficiency of monitoring and assessment

of oulation acti1ities.

.3. Increase the number of training courses in oulation studies $ithin and

outside the country in order to build national caacity in demograhic data

collection, analysis and research on oulation.

%art III ! Imlementation of National %oulation and 'e1eloment %olicy of the

Lao %'(.

-. #he *tate %lanning "ommittee introduce the National %oulation and

'e1eloment %olicy uniformly throughout the country and coordinates $ith

1arious agencies in the formulation of lans, rograms, ro@ects and acti1ities

related to oulation.

7. 6inistries, ministerial le1el organi>ations, ro1inces, municialities and

secial >ones are the key organi>ations to successfully imlement the National

%oulation and 'e1eloment %olicy.

#. Social Attitudes and $alues


37/40

Laosde1eloed its culture and customs as the inland crossroads of trade and

migration in *outheast )siao1er millennia. )s of 70-7 Laos has a oulation of

roughly 8.: million sread o1er 738,00 km7+-,:00 sB miles, yielding one of

the lo$est oulation densities in )sia. Tet the country of Laos has an official

count of o1er forty!se1en ethnicities di1ided into -: sub!grous and 0 different

languages. #heLao Loumha1e throughout the country5s history comrised the

ethnic and linguistic ma@ority. In *outheast )sia, traditional Lao culture is

considered one of the Indic cultures+along $ith 9urma, #hailandand "ambodia.

Laos is geograhically isolated and mountainous, bounded by the)nnamite

(angein the east, forming a traditional olitical and cultural boundary

$ith Vietnam+a more "hineseinfluenced *initic culture. 6uch of the $esternborders of Laos are formed by the6ekong (i1er$hich ro1ided the ma@or means

of inland trade desite limited na1igability along the ri1er5s length. %rior to the

70th century Lao rincialities and the Kingdom of Lan Xange2tended to

the *isong %anna+"hina, *isong "hau #ai+Vietnam, andKhorat

%lateau+today the northeast of #hailand $here the ri1er $as used as a

transortation artery to connect Lao eoles on both the right and left banks.

es ersonal moral duty. 9uddhistrinciles encourage stoic

indifference and Buiet reser1e in dealing $ith disagreements.


38/40

#he family unit is the basis of much social interaction, as such it is common for

Lao to refer to each other using familiar cognatessuch as sister, brother, aunt or

uncleG $ithout an actual family tie to that erson. Friendshi falls bet$een t$o

categories, moo linhlay friendsG are acBuaintances and moo tai die friendsG

$ho are considered as family. It is not uncommon or e1en considered rude

for moo tai to sho$ u unannounced for an e2tended stay, or to share ersonal

ossessions. %ersonal face!to!face contact is considered the most olite, and

=estern notions of in1itations, letters and emails are 1ie$ed as foreign.

#raditional Lao are conser1ati1e about their aearance and ersonal sace. Lao

eole are also generally sensiti1e about hysical contact. #he head is

considered as sacred, $hereas the left hand and feet are ritually unclean. Inkeeing $ith social status it is e2ected that younger eole slightly bo$ or kee

their heads lo$er than elders or clergy. 42cet among a arent child relationshi

it is considered condescending to touch a Lao erson5s head. %ointing $ith the

hands or fingers is also insulting esecially during a disagreement. %ositioning of

feet is highly imortant. Feet should ne1er be ointed to$ard a 9uddhaimage,

member of the clergy, or elders. *hoes should al$ays be remo1ed $hen entering

a temle or a Lao home or $ill gi1e serious offence.

#he tyical Lao greeting is the no $hich is similar to the $aiin #hailandor

the satu in "ambodia, and is based on the Indic)U@ali 6udr.In a no the hands

are clased together uright in a rayerful osition, $ith fingertis belo$ the nose

and a slight do$n$ard ga>e. #he no is often accomanied $ith the greeting

R*abaideeR or good health +to youG and is considered the olite address for

members of higher social status.

*ecial social attention is aid to monks and religious items. #ouching

a 9uddhaimage or animistshrine is al$ays offensi1e. Lao eole $ill

generally no and kneel $hen aroached by assing monks. In resect for the

monastic 1o$s, it is considered an offence for $omen to touch a monk, his robes,

or to hand anything to a monk directly. In many instances a male friend or family
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wai_(thai)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%B1jali_Mudr%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%B1jali_Mudr%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wai_(thai)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%B1jali_Mudr%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animist


39/40

member $ill be used as an intermediary or lacking that a late or some other

item $ill be used and then laced on the ground for the monk to use.


40/40

The Developmental Promises of Economics in Laos

Development Economics

Prof. %anolito &. San 'ose

Submitted B(

Dadula) &erald %.

De &u*man) Audre %ae B.

Decena) !arlo %artin A.

Dela !ru*) %ark Ar+a %.

Dino) Patric ,ane '.

Bachelor in Secondar Education %a+or in Social Studies -/0

'anuar 12/3

Documents

Brief Background of Laos (1)