Japan to further support Laos

(KPL) The government of Japan has decided to continue to provide monetary assistance to four environment-linked projects, as described below, 2 billion and 955 million yen, to the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

A diplomatic exchange of notes was held in the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan, Tokyo, between Mr Katsuya Okada, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR, on 4 March.

This signing ceremony was held during the visit to Japan by H.E Mr. Choummaly Sayasone, President of the Lao PDR and Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the first official visit to Japan by the President of the Lao PDR.

The projects include:

1. introduction of clean energy by solar panels

2. forest information management

3. forest preservation programme

4. raising the level of capability to cope with natural disasters caused by climate change.

According to a press release of the Embassy of Japan in Laos, March 5, there was an urgent need for Laos to achieve sustainable and stable growth because of its strategic location, situated right in the centre of the Mekong region and covering one third of the Mekong Valley.

During the first Mekong-Japan summit meeting in November 2009, Japan announced “a decade toward the Green Mekong” initiative, with emphasis on cooperation in the field of environment and climate change in the region.

In connection with such an initiative, Japan took into consideration the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s declared association with the Copenhagen accord and therefore decided to extend the grant aid to the four projects as part of the “Hatoyama Initiative,” to assist Laos’s efforts on mitigation and adaptation to the adverse impact of climate change.

Here are the outline of the assistance projects.

The project for introduction of clean energy by solar panels: installation of solar power generation equipment in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Wattay international airport in Vientiane capital.The programme for forest information management: provision of a forest information centre and equipment to monitor and analyse forest resources. Another aspect would be the provision of technical assistance, such as forestry investigation and so strengthen the capacity of engineers. The forest preservation programme: provision to the local government and universities with equipment to measure and analyse forest resources.

It would also support watershed protection by means of forest management, based on formulation of forest management plan. The programme for the improvement of capabilities to cope with natural disasters caused by climate change: the central and local governments will be provided with equipment to prevent and counter disasters.

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