Background of the ‘Growth with Equity’ Framework

The Knowledge and Information System (KIS)started as an initiative created by a group of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and Non-Profit Associations (NPAs), with co-funding support from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). Its aim is to develop a framework to harmonize capacity development initiatives in Laos in order to strengthen local civil society organizations so that they may be effective partners in development. The framework and the activities to be implemented have been developed in line with the aid and development effectiveness agenda

The KIS does not belong to any single individual or an organization. It is an open-source for information and knowledge sharing for and by Lao Civil Society and relevant stakeholders including Non-Profit Association- NPAs, Farmer and community based organizations, and International Non-governmental Organizations-iNGOs) and Development Partners (DPs), as well as other individuals and stakeholders in both Private and public sector.

The system allows users to upload, share and access to information related to the capacity development opportunities, lesson learned, job and event advertisement. Users can apply to attend any available capacity development activities through the system.

Quality assurance is also ensured via provider/user assessment tools and KIS services satisfaction surveys.

Lao PDR is ranked by the World Bank as a developing lower-income country, indicating that progress has to be made in order to graduate the country from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) list by 2020. To reach this objective, the Lao PDR is implementing the Brussels LDC plan and has adopted an ambitious National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and a National Growth & Poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES) which are integral to a ‘Growth with Equity’framework. The lao PDR has seen an increase of foreign direct investment, commercialization of agriculture, transportation and infrastructure development, however, economic gaps still remain in the field of Poverty Eradication.

As part of its commitment to poverty alleviation, The Government of Lao PDR and its development partner signed the Vientiane Declaration, a localized adaptation of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, The Government of Lao PDR has recognized the need to ensure that aid effectiveness is taken into account in development effectiveness analysis.

To this end, the Government of Lao PDR further demonstrated its commitment to compliance with the international aid effectiveness agenda by setting out a plan to integrate key principles from the Accra Agenda for Action into its Vientiane Declaration and Country Action Plan (VDCAP)  whereby following ‘development effectiveness’ gaps would be bridged:

  • Predictability of aid, conditionality, the increasing diversity of aid providers with an emphasis on south-south cooperation and solutions and the role of civil society and state-citizen mutual accountability

In order to support a more enabling environment for local associations to actively engage in poverty reduction and increased governance, The Decree on Associations  was enacted in April 2009, promoting associations’ contributions towards socio-economic development and poverty eradication, as well as countering and restricting activities affecting national stability, social order and individual rights of freedom.