VIENTIANE — The inauguration ceremony of the Vientiane Saysettha Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone jointly built by China and Laos was held via video conferencing on April 29. Contact online >>
VIENTIANE — The inauguration ceremony of the Vientiane Saysettha Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone jointly built by China and Laos was held via video conferencing on April 29.
The event indicates construction of the demonstration zone has entered a new phase, opening a new chapter for China-Laos cooperation to address climate change in the framework of South-South cooperation.
Zhao Yingmin, vice-minister of China''s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said in his speech that the low-carbon demonstration project in the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone (SDZ) serves as an important step to implement the action plan on building the China-Laos community with a shared future, and highlights the joint efforts addressing climate change made by the two countries.
Located in Vientiane, capital of Laos, the SDZ covers an area of 11.5 square kilometers. It is a key cooperation project between the governments of China and Laos, with the zone expected to function as both an industrial park and a new town of the Lao capital, with a total planned investment of about $5 billion.
China is willing to continue to work with the Lao side to further strengthen cooperation in the fields of environmental protection and climate change response, promote green and low-carbon sustainable development, so as to benefit the two peoples and make greater contribution to the building of a community with a shared future between the two countrie, the Chinese official said at the ceremony.
In his speech, Saynakhone Inthavong, vice-minister of the Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said the Saysettha Low-Carbon Demonstration Zone project is a model for bilateral cooperation in addressing climate change.
"I wish the cooperation between Laos and China on the environment will achieve greater results," said the Lao official.
On the same day, the Chinese side officially handed over the second batch of assistance supplies for the demonstration zone to the Lao side, including 12 new energy buses, eight new energy trucks, and eight new energy law enforcement vehicles.
In August last year, the first batch of China-aided materials arrived in Vientiane. So far, all the material assistance proposed in the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in building the Vientiane Saysettha low-carbon demonstration zone has been fully realized.
On July 16, 2020, the environment ministers of China and Laos signed the mentioned memorandum of understanding at a video conference.
In the past two years, the teams from both sides have made joint efforts to overcome difficulties from the COVID-19 epidemic and complete the planning work for the low-carbon demonstration zone, including on development goals, main tasks and key projects.
Shortages of food and water, and the dangers of heat for vulnerable groups, are likely to be the top climate change health challenges for Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), health decision-makers heard in Vientiane in July 2023.
More than 65 public health specialists and project managers, policy makers, academics and partners attended a two-day training workshop, which was conducted by the Ministry of Health’s Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion and the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office on the effects of climate change on health, groups at high risk and priority adaptations.
During the training, participants developed implementation plans for six priority adaption areas of the National Health Adaptation Plan (HNAP): planning, leadership and governance; risks to water, sanitation and waste management in health care facilities; medical conditions caused by heat; food insecurity and malnutrition; managing a surge in demand for health care for injuries caused by extreme weather; and anticipating an increase in vector-borne diseases, particular dengue. The implementation plans will be included in the 2023-2024 work plan.
Lao PDR is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with projections of more extreme weather, a 2–3° C rise in temperature by 2050, and a 10–30% increase in rainfall, particularly in the south.
Agriculture and food systems are under threat—70% of Lao PDR’s population relies on subsistence agriculture, vulnerable to extreme weather events and disasters—and food insecurity could lead to children being forced to skip or limit meals, with a rise in malnutrition and the many health problems that brings.
Increasing temperatures will bring cause heat stress, triggering a range of medical problems, including heat-related deaths among older people, and risks for children and people who work outdoors.
Dr Bouakeo Souvanthong, Deputy Director, Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Ministry of Health, said strategic and operational-level planning, coordination and monitoring at national and local levels was important in protecting health amid a changing climate.
Dr Bounthanom Phimmasone, Deputy Head of the Environmental Hygiene Division of the Ministry of Health, said all sectors – including health, agriculture, environment, transport – would need to work together to protect people’s health and avoid straining an already overloaded health system.
Following the successful training workshop, modules will be used to teach post-graduate students of public health, climate, water and sanitation, nutrition, disaster management and environmental health at the University of Health Sciences in Lao PDR.
Vientiane Capital, 08 November 2024 – With the support of UN agencies and development partners, Lao PDR delegation is preparing for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) which will take place from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a pre-COP briefing in Vientiane for the delegation, which will be led by H.E. Mme Bounkham Vorachit, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and will include representatives from several line ministries.
The pre-COP briefing provided an overview of priorities and critical negotiation areas where progress is expected in Baku, including climate finance, the loss and damage fund, carbon markets, the transition away from fossil fuels, and new national climate commitments through a new round of more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that will be presented at COP30 in Brazil. The impact of climate change on health systems, progress in the implementation of the Early Warning for All initiative (EW4All), and youth and children''s participation in climate action were also highlighted.
For Lao PDR, scientists predict that temperatures will continue to rise (a 2–3° C rise in temperature by 20501), with dry seasons getting longer and a 10–30% increase in rainfall during the rainy season. Laos'' dependence on natural resources for its development makes it particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. More severe and frequent rainfall, storms, droughts and floods will affect communities'' health, economy, and livelihoods. In September 2024, monsoon floods triggered by Typhoon Yagi caused devastation and damage estimated at USD 264.3 million. Without proper preparation, climate impacts may jeopardize development progress and exacerbate inequalities.
Lao PDR was the first ASEAN nation to pledge net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The country has also committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 60%, increasing forest coverage by 70%, and promoting the use of renewable and clean energy. It has aligned its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) with the goals set by the Paris Agreement and works with local and international partners to implement its commitments and strengthen climate resilience.
"Collaboration is essential for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially to protect our communities. Today, we gather to highlight key sectoral issues and priorities, and feedback from our stakeholders. The feedback will help us achieve the targets we have set and serve as valuable input for negotiations at COP29. Through this process, we will also share our policy framework and define the priorities for Lao PDR that we aim to implement together." said H.E. Mme Bounkham Vorachit, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Lao PDR.
"COP29 is an opportunity for Lao PDR to showcase its progress in climate action, share its experience and learn from other countries'' initiatives and successes. It is also a chance to highlight the unique challenges that Lao PDR faces as a landlocked country, to advocate for the support that it needs to implement its ambitious NDC and to forge new partnerships that can drive sustainable development'''' added UNDP Resident Representative, Mrs. Martine Thérer.
140 students from six universities in the country, including from Gagauzia region and the left bank of the Nistru River graduated from the Eco Media Academy,
Building resilience of urban populations with ecosystem-based solutions in Lao PDR
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events in Lao PDR. This coupled with inadequate urban planning and drainage systems are leading to severe flooding in the major cities of Vientiane, Paksan, Savannakhet and Pakse.
This project is building climate resilience of local communities in these cities through the implementation of an integrated approach to flood management to reduce the impacts of urban flooding and to help manage climate change induced floods in a long-term. The project activities include strengthening technical capacity and knowledge management for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), developing city-level flood management strategies, and implementing urban EbA solutions, including protecting and restoring wetlands and urban streams along the Mekong River. The project is also supporting the production and dissemination of information on local, regional, and international levels to build technical capacity for the implementation of urban EbA interventions.
Overall, the project is contributing to a paradigm shift of urban flood management from hard ''grey'' infrastructure towards innovative use of integrated ''green'' infrastructure, such as urban EbA solutions.
To explore our other EbA projects,click here.
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