ADB Assisting Lao PDR to Serve Poor Rural Communities

(KPL) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in further improving the capacity of various local government agencies in delivering services to northern rural communities, which are saddled with a high incidence of poverty.
According to an ADB source, through a $533,500 grant funded by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, ADB will support much needed capacity building for project management and community-driven development among staff of the provincial agriculture and forestry office, the district agriculture and forestry extension offices and the Lao Women’s Union.
“These agencies are working with rural communities in the northern part of the country, which are among the poorest, for sustainable poverty reduction and improved gender equity,” said Manoshi Mitra, senior social development specialist for ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is landlocked, but is fast improving its links with the Greater Mekong Subregion, the grouping of six countries sharing the Mekong River, which includes Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“The northern part of the country is characterized by higher than national levels of poverty, poor communications, ethnic minorities, and other communities living in relatively isolated and remote settlements,” said Ms. Mitra.
The grant has two components each valued at $217,500. The first will support training of staff of provincial and district agriculture and forestry agencies, and the Lao Women’s Union in promoting community capacity building for community-driven development. The second component will involve training of staff at the local government agencies concerned in project management, and harmonized financial and procurement procedures.
The counterpart project is the Northern Region Sustainable Livelihoods through Livestock Development, which is being implemented in 18 priority poor districts in five northern provinces of the country.

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