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SDGs Localization &

Voluntary National Review

Lao PDR’s Experience

By Mr. Kalouna Nanthavongduangsy

Deputy Director General Department of Planning

Ministry of Planning and Investment - Lao PDR

Presentation content

I. SDG Localization

II. Voluntary National Review

III. Lessons learnt

IV. Looking Forward

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I. SDG Localization

3

Overview – SDG localization

4

SDGs National Vision

Political Will and

Commitment Planning Implementation

Monitoring and Evaluation

1 2 3 4

5. SDG Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (SSE)

SDG Communications Strategy (SC)

Lao SDG

Strategic

Plan

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Presidential Decree to form the National SDGs Steering

Committee on 20 Sep 2017

8th National Social Economic Development Plan

(8th NSEDP 2016-2020)

SDGs

National Priorities

LOCALIZATION OF SDGs

Nearly

60%

of the 8th NSEDP indicators are linked to SDG indicators.

The remaining SDG indicators will be integrated in the future

9th and 10th NSEDP

1. Political Will and Commitment

National SDGs

Secretariat & Focal

Points

SDG Reporting Owners

(Reporting)

National SDGs Steering

Committee

SDG Indicator Owners

(Implementation)

The committee chaired by the Prime Minister

appointing the National SDGs Secretariat on

10 Oct 2017

The Secretariat chaired by the Minister of

Foreign Affairs whom appointed the Focal

Points in various ministries on 10 Oct 2017

The Secretariat assigned ownership of the 18

SDGs across line ministries on 30 Nov 2017

The Secretariat identified the SDG indicator

owners based on NSEDP and their sectoral

responsibilities

Linkage between SDGs and 8th NSEDP, LDC graduation criteria & green growth indicator (Output level)

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8th NSEDP Outcome/ Output Linkages with SDGs Linked to LDC graduation criteria

Includes Green

Growth Indicator

Outcome 1: Sustained, inclusive economic growth, strong economic foundations & reduced economic vulnerability

Output 1 –Sustained and inclusive economic growth

✓ ✓

Output 2 – Macroeconomic stability ✓

Output 3 – Integrated development planning and budgeting ✓

Output 4 – Balanced regional and local development

Output 5 – Improved public/private labour force capacity ✓ ✓

Output 6 – Local entrepreneurs are competitive in domestic and global

markets

Output 7 – Regional and international cooperation and integration ✓

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8th NSEDP Outcome/ Output Linkages with SDGs Linked to LDC

graduation criteria

Includes Green

Growth Indicator

Outcome 2: Human resources developed, public/private workforce capacity upgraded, poverty in all ethnic groups reduced, equal access by

female/male/all ethnic groups to quality education and health services, the unique Lao culture promoted, protected and developed, political

stability maintained with social peace and order, justice and transparency

Output 1 – Improved living standards through poverty reduction

Output 2 – Ensured food security and reduced incidence of

malnutrition

✓

Output 3 – Access to high quality education

✓

Output 4 – Access to high quality health care and preventative

medicine ✓ ✓

Output 5 – Enhanced Social Protection

Output 6 – Protection of traditions and culture ✓

Output 7 – Maintain political stability, social peace, order, justice and

transparency

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8th NSEDP Outcome/ Output Linkages with SDGs Linked to LDC

graduation criteria

Includes Green

Growth Indicator

Outcome 3: Natural resources and the environment protected and sustainably managed, green growth promoted, disaster preparedness

enhanced and climate resilience developed

Output 1 – Environmental Protection and Sustainable Natural

Resources Management

✓

Output 2 – Preparedness for Natural Disasters and Risk Reduction ✓ ✓

Output 3 – Reduced Instability of Agricultural Production ✓ ✓

NSEDP Cross-Cutting Outputs contributing to all Outcomes

Output 1 -- Public governance and administration enhanced

Output 2 -- Local innovation and use of science, technology and

telecommunications promoted, Information and communication

technologies (ICT) enhanced

Output 3--Gender equality and empowerment of women and youth

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Planning

Guiding the SDG

strategies and actions to

ensure that the SDG

implementation is

progressing on the right

track

Identifying financial

needs/gaps and

allocating budget based

on the activities under

each output stated in the

roadmap to ensure

effective resource

utilization

Localizing the global

SDG indicators to fit the

national context of Lao

PDR based on relevancy,

data availability,

national/sustainable

development priorities

and other related factors

Conducting SDG

workshops/training at

national, provincial and

local levels as knowledge

and understanding of

the SDGs is key to the

achievement of the 2030

Agenda

Consolidating various

data sources to track

progress of SDGs so

that challenges can be

addressed and overcome

in real-time manner

SDG

Roadmap

Indicators

Localization

Process

Capacity

Building

SDG

Tracking

Platforms

Integrated

Financial

Framework

2. Planning

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SDG Reporting

(SDGr) Owners S/N Ministry SDG

1MoAF (for SDG 1 & 2,

partnership with MoPH)1, 2, 14, 15

2 MoPH 3

3 MoES 4

4 LWU 5

5 MoNRE 6, 12, 13

6 MoEM 7

7 MoLSW 8

8 MoIC 9

9 MPI 10

10 MPWT 11

11 MoHA 16

12 MPI and MoFA 17

13 MoLSW (NRA) and MoFA 18

National SDGs

Secretariat and

Focal Points

Main responsibilities:

1. To coordinate with

SDGi owners to track

the progress and

challenges of the

implementation

2. To submit the SDG

reports to National

SDGs Secretariat

Main responsibilities*:

1. To support the SDGr

and SDGi owners to

ensure they are on the

right track to

implementing SDGs

2. To compile

SDG/VNR reports

to present to the

national, regional and

international stages

Note: * Detailed responsibilities

of Focal Points and National

SDGs Secretariat are stated in the

appointment letter by Minister of

Foreign Affairs dated on 10 Oct

2017

SDG Indicator

Owners

SDG Reporting

Owners

National

SDGs

Secretariat and

Focal Points

Steering

Committ

ee

SDG Ministry Owners and Line of Reporting

3. Implementation

SDG Indicator

Implementation (SDGi)

Owners

Main responsibilities:

1. To mainstream the

localized indicators into

their sectoral strategies

and development

priorities

2. To report progress and

challenges of SDG

indicator

implementation to SDG

Reporting Owners

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Monitoring and Evaluation Tools:

1. M&E Framework / Metadata Handbook

2. SDG Data Dashboard

3. Dialogue and Consultation through existing and

potential platforms

This is a critical process to ensure that the SDG

implementation is progressing on the right track, and it

has to be implemented on a consistent and sustainable

basis so that the challenges can be addressed and

overcome in real-time fashion.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation

5. SDG Stakeholder Engagement

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SSE supports all the four elements of the Lao SDG Localization as SSE

is critical across the spectrum

SSE

Planning

SSE

Implementation

SSE Monitoring

& Evaluation SSE Strategy

II. Voluntary National Review

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Political Will and Commitment

National SDGs Secretariat SDG Focal Points

Inclusive, Transparent and Participatory

Evidence-based

Approach

Whole-of-Society

Approach

Partnership and

Consultation

Stakeholder Engagement

Advocacy and Awareness

Steering Committee Meeting NSEDP

II. Voluntary National Review in Lao PDR A. Process and Methodology

8th NSEDP Outcome 1: Economic Development

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Progress Challenges

- GDP growth rate of 7% on the average for the past five years,

- 92% of households in Lao PDR having access to electricity in 2016 and hydropower sector is a major source of growth over the past two decades

- 84.5% of villages with access to all-season road access

- Widening inequality with increased Gini coefficient

- Low usage of clean fuels and technology by households - Inadequate social protection

- Low and limited access to finance by SMEs - High skill gaps and shortage of qualified labour - 70% of workers in agriculture and fishery sector while the

sector contributes only 21% of GDP

Outcome 2: Social Development

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Progress Challenges

- Declining national poverty rate from 46% (1992) to 23% (2015) and 18% (2018)

- Improving well-being (under-5 mortality rate more than halved from 1990 to 2015, decreasing TB and Malaria cases)

- 86%, 77% and 80% of households owning mobile phones, TV and

motorbikes respectively

- Declining proportion of the undernourished - Positive sign in primary school enrolment rate - Leveraging on natural endowment (water) with proper Water

Resources Law in place - 76% and 71% of population having access to improved sources of

drinking water and improved sanitation facilities respectively

- Increasing road accidents death rate by twice since 2006

- Volatile weather making people in the agriculture falling into poverty

- Open defecation - High disparities in safe water and

sanitation coverage among the urban and the rural

Outcome 3: Environmental Development

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Progress Challenges

- Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project and Bus Rapid Transit system and Luang Prabang (ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award)

- Lao PDR Action Plan for Pakse Declaration on ASEAN Roadmap for Strategic Development of Ecotourism Clusters and Tourism Corridors

- Numerous ecotourism, cultural and historical and world heritage sites

- 58% of forest area in Lao PDR with effective ban on

logging from production forests

- Localized SDG 14 to fit the landlocked country status

- Increasing urban population requiring more

investment in city and transport infrastructure

and policies

- Unaligned government methodology and data

collection with international disaster data

collection initiatives such as EM-DAT

- Most of the SDG 12 indicators still lacking

robust measurement systems

Cross-Cutting

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Progress Challenges

- High share of women in the National Assembly

- Embracing ASEAN partnership and UN Partnership Framework

- Monitoring framework of Vientiane Declaration on Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (2016-2025) being in line with global partnerships for effective development cooperation

- Women an girls Lag access to education and health - Securing financing for SDGs Implementation

- Strengthening public debt management

III. Key Lessons Learnt, Challenges and Support

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Key Lessons Learnt

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Government’s strong commitment is the driving force of SDG implementation

SDG localization has to be sequences and integrated into the national development strategies

Administrative data need to be harmonized, streamlined and strengthened and institutional and statistical capacities need to be enhanced

Collaboration and coordination across line ministries and between central and local levels are key to SDG implementation to reach the most disadvantaged groups

Government

Localization

Data

Collaboration

Financing

Funding

Capacity

Building

Key Challenges and Support

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Advocacy and

Awareness

× Inadequate level of understanding of SDGs and the 2030 Agenda among some line ministries/SDG Focal Points

× Insufficient funding for SDG indicators that are not integrated into the 8th NSEDP yet × Lack of funding for data collection and data systems for SDG indicators, and especially

for the generation of disaggregated data

× Inadequate level of understanding of SDGs and the 2030 Agenda among some line

ministries/SDG Focal Points/provinces

Many non-government sectors and provinces are still unaware of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs

× Difficulties in reaching communities living in remote areas

× Insufficient funding for SDG indicators that are not integrated into the 8th NSEDP yet

× Lack of funding for data collection and data systems for SDG indicators, and especially for

the generation of disaggregated data

IV. Looking Forward

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Looking Forward

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• Localize and implement SDGs to achieve the 2030 Agenda through integrating

SDG indicators into the 9th and 10th NSEDP

• Relook into the SDG Roadmap as a guiding principle to achieve the 2030

Agenda

• Create stakeholder engagement and communications strategies to raise

awareness on SDGs in line with the principle of “Leaving No One Behind”

• Work closely with development partners and international organizations to

source for funding and allocate resources effectively

• Work with both local and international expertise/consultants to create effective

monitoring and evaluation framework

• Build a network of strong SDG technical group across line ministries, CSOs,

private sector, academia and grass root to encourage inclusiveness,

transparency and participation in the journey of achieving the 2030 Agenda

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Thank You (Kop Chai)