The international development partners have backed the implementation of the socio-economic development plan over the next five years, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith.
Speaking to a press conference on the organisation of the 10th High Level Roundtable Meeting held at Vientiane's Lao Plaza Hotel on October 20, Mr. Thongloun said that the participants to the roundtable meeting appreciated the implementation of the sixth socio-economic development plan of the Lao government and expressed acknowledgement that Laos had entered into the practical implementation of millennium development goals and belief that the Lao government would achieve these MDGs by 2015 as these targets had won great attention from the government and support and assistance from the international development partners.
"The international community has appreciated the Lao government for its addition of MDGs to its new socio-economic plan for 2010-2011 period and they asserted commitment to providing ODAs for Laos to help achieve the MDGs and the fulfilment of its seventh socio-economic development plan and their determination to help Laos graduate from the least developed country status by 2020," said Mr. Thongloun.
"Today?s roundtable is about the future direction, priorities and challenges that lay ahead and we learned comprehensive direction of the Lao PDR from Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh," said U.N. Assistant Secretary General Ajay Chhibber, who co-chaired the press conference.
"The meeting had UNDP Administrator Helen Clark addressing key note speech calling upon all development partners to back the government's new plan."
The 10th roundtable meeting has learned the presentations by ministers across major sectors of development and what is clear from these presentations is the government has embraced lots of change that is really transforming the country, sustaining the economy growth, creating prosperity, job opportunities and poverty on decline, according to the U.N. Assistant Secretary General.
"This roundtable meeting is robust and rich venue for the future direction of the Lao people. The seventh plan is clearly aligned to achieving the Millennium Development Goal and this time is not the time for the development partners to hold back but the time to come forward and provide assistance for Laos,"said Mr. Ajay.