On March 29, in the capital of Vientiane, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment co-hosted a meeting of the Technical Working Group on Climate Change (TWGCC). The TWGCC includes representatives from across several ministries and agencies namely Electricite du Laos (EDL), the Lao Women’s Union, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MPWT), the National Agriculture and Forest Research Institute (NAFRI), the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), and the Ministry of Education and Sport (MES).
As part of the global effort to address climate change and deliver on the Paris Agreement, Lao PDR submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The NDC includes a number of initiatives that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience. During the meeting, participants discussed progress in implementing these initiatives and the opportunities and challenges they face doing so.
During the meeting, participants also talked about the importance of implementing the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and the institutions Lao needs to develop in the medium term in order to update its climate change commitments every five years and assess and report on its progress in delivering on these commitments. Mr. Souphaxay Komany, Director of the Climate Change Promotion Division, mentioned that as different sectors are working together, follow up is needed to make sure everyone can be involved in this work.
In October 2017, Lao PDR became the 28th Member of GGGI, making it the most recent member. Climate change is one of the key areas of work that Lao PDR and GGGI have agreed to work on together.