UNICEF Executive Board approves new country programme for the Lao PDR

NEW YORK / VIENTIANE, 2 September 2026 — UNICEF's Executive Board this week approved a new Country Programme Document — its governing framework for work with the Government of Lao PDR — covering 2027 to 2031, at the Board's second regular session in New York.

"The Lao PDR highly values its long-standing partnership with UNICEF. For more than five decades it has delivered tangible results for children and families across the country," said H.E. Mr Thongphane Savanphet, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to the United Nations. "The new country programme document for the Lao PDR, 2027–2031, is the outcome of an inclusive and consultative process. It aligns with priorities of the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2026-2030 and responds to the needs of children across the country."

Developed with the Government of the Lao PDR, the programme centres on four priorities: the first 1,000 days of life; learning and skills; the empowerment of adolescents; and access to safe water and a clean environment.

"A country programme is a set of promises made to children," said Mr. Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, UNICEF Country Representative in the Lao PDR. "The programme is designed to lighten the load on the children who are furthest behind, and to give every child in the Lao PDR — wherever they are born — a strong start. None of that happens without the government's own investment, and without partners willing to work side by side to reach the most vulnerable."

The programme also comes as the Lao PDR completes its graduation from least developed country status this year, a shift UNICEF says will require sustained domestic investment in health, education and social protection as the economy grows.