Press Release

Consultation Workshop of First Sub-national Level Solid Waste Management Regulation of Lao PDR

On April 27, 2023, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Lao PDR and the Vientiane City Office for Management and Services (VCOMS) held a consultation workshop to present the draft Vientiane solid waste management regulation to development partners and gather feedback for further improvements. The workshop was attended by various organizations, including the World Bank, European Union, World Wildlife Fund, Swisscontact, Plan International, Zero Waste Laos, and Green Vientiane, who provided constructive comments from institutional and technical perspectives.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Rowan Fraser, Country Representative of GGGI Lao PDR, stressed the importance of developing a legal framework to effectively manage solid waste in the fast-growing capital city of Vientiane. He also mentioned that the regulation will incorporate sustainable waste management initiatives that GGGI and VCOMS have been working on.

Mr. Bounpakob Phonhalath, Deputy Director General of VCOMS, expressed his gratitude for the feedback and emphasized the significance of the regulation’s development for the capital city’s waste management. He noted that the regulation should be effective and applicable for households, entrepreneurs, and people in Vientiane Capital.

With the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), GGGI has been working on improving waste management in Vientiane Capital since 2019. In 2021, the “Sustainable Solid Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan for Vientiane 2021-2030” developed by GGGI was endorsed by the Vientiane Capital government. Based on this strategy, the draft solid waste regulation will be updated with feedback from stakeholders in the waste sector in Vientiane Capital and submitted to the Cabinet of Vientiane Capital for approval and endorsement by the end of 2023 or early 2024. This regulation will be the first sub-national solid waste management regulation in Lao PDR.