Latest news with #ANNVIENTIANE
The Star
3 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Laos launches training centre to improve nutrition
A Lao nurse provides information about the benefits of nutrition to a woman. - Vientiane Times/ANN VIENTIANE: The Maternal and Child and Nutrition Training Centre officially opened on Tuesday (June 3) in northern Laos' Luang Namtha province, aiming to improve nutrition and maternal and child health awareness through training, knowledge sharing and capacity building. The centre aims to provide practical training to hospital staff, health centres, volunteers and communities, especially benefiting the northern provinces, Lao National TV reported on Wednesday. The centre also aims to improve access to knowledge and skills by offering practical training and cooking demonstrations based on nutritional principles, while serving as a resource for parents of malnourished children to help them prepare nutritious meals and combat malnutrition. Malnutrition remains a major challenge in Laos, with 33 per cent of children under five suffering from severe malnutrition, 21 per cent underweight, and nine per cent stunted. These issues are most common in poor and remote areas. In response, the initiative to establish the center began in 2019, aiming to reduce severe malnutrition by 25 per cent through health worker training at all levels. Construction began in 2022 and was completed in December 2024, according to the report. The Lao government is prioritising child nutrition to support brain development and drive national growth. Efforts to combat malnutrition include strengthening coordination, increasing funding, using data for evidence-based programmes, and scaling up key maternal and child nutrition interventions across sectors. - Xinhua
The Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Laos takes steps toward graduation from LDC status
Laos has incorporated the goals and principles of the UN Plan of Action into its national development strategies. - Vientiane Times/ANN VIENTIANE: Laos' Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a meeting of the National Steering Committee for the Implementation of the UN Plan of Action for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), focusing on preparations for the country's graduation from LDC status by 2026. The meeting, held here on Thursday (April 24), was chaired by Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane and attended by representatives from various Lao ministries, government agencies, and the United Nations (UN) offices in Laos. The meeting reviewed a progress report and a draft readiness assessment, while participants exchanged views and recommendations on the country's preparedness and the transition process, the local news website Lao Phattana News reported on Friday. Laos has incorporated the goals and principles of the UN Plan of Action into its national development strategies, beginning with the Doha Programme of Action for 2022-2031, and established a national steering committee to lead implementation efforts. Laos is drafting an assessment, with the support of the United Nations, to evaluate its readiness for graduation from LDC status by 2026. The goal is to ensure the transition is smooth, sustainable and irreversible. - Xinhua
The Star
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Economic woes in Laos drive workers overseas
Many Lao workers are opting to work in other countries where they can earn more. - Vientiane Times/ANN VIENTIANE: Continuing financial hardship is the main reason why skilled Lao workers are seeking jobs in other countries, even though the government raised the minimum wage last year in a bid to retain workers. However, the rising cost of living and paltry wages mean that workers struggle to earn a living and make ends meet. Speaking at the annual meeting of the labour and social welfare sector in Vientiane, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, hongsaysack Inthalavong, said that for several years the ministry has worked to improve the skills of workers in Laos to meet the needs of the evolving job market. But even after vocational training, many workers do not want jobs in Laos because the wages offered are so low and do not meet their daily needs, he added. 'We are concerned that Laos may face a shortage of skilled workers, especially as some business operators refuse to pay the increased minimum wage, which is the main reason that some skilled workers look for jobs in other countries,' Phongsaysack said. 'Our ministry has a policy to promote employment and job creation, and to ensure that workers are qualified to fill jobs that are in demand in both Laos and other countries,' he added. 'Unfortunately, some business operators still believe that Lao workers are poorly skilled and incompetent, even as they are in strong demand in the Republic of Korea and Thailand.' But most of them are skilled and can earn more money in Thailand and Korea, where the minimum wage is higher than in Laos, he added. In the meantime, the government is working to improve skill levels and social welfare at both the central and local levels and to improve the quality of Lao workers in line with the needs of today's job market. This means enabling independent workers to become strong entrepreneurs and ensuring that workers have worthwhile and fair jobs. It is also essential to safeguard the rights and interests of workers and employers through national and international labour standards and to strengthen the social security system, Phongsaysack said. In the past five years, 369,345 workers have been recruited for jobs in Laos and other countries, meaning that the unemployment rate has not risen above two percent each year. - Vientiane Times/ANN
