Laos

Promoting opportunities for all

Results 2011-2012

In 2011:

• 1,033 school principals and 100 pre-school teachers trained to improve the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools in the 56 most educationally disadvantaged districts.
• More than 1,000 tonnes of food (rice, corn-soya blend, oil and sugar) provided to 47,341 students and their families to help them complete primary school.
• 96 students commenced studying for a short or long-term award in Australia.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Classrooms constructed in 220 primary and pre-primary schools.
• Water and sanitation facilities constructed in more than 450 schools.
• Training and equipment provided to more than 750 teachers at primary and pre- primary level.
• At least 51 students to commence study for a short or long-term award in Australia in 2012.

Sustainable economic development

Results 2011-2012

In 2011:

• Government of Laos supported to reduce the number of days required to start a business to 93 from 163 in 2006.
• 832 families supported in techniques to increase rice yields and lower chemical use and costs in three southern provinces.
• 16,160 households in rural villages provided with mains electricity.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Improved regulatory transparency for businesses through an electronic trade portal.
• Support for 800 poor households to improve agricultural productivity, livelihoods and income.
• Around 800,000 people to gain access to improved productive infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and sanitation facilities, and irrigation schemes.

Humanitarian and disaster response

Results 2011-2012

• More than 2,938 hectares of land contaminated with unexploded ordnance cleared by non-government organisations (NGOs) and clearance organisations with Australian support. More than 460,000 people benefited.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Support for NGOs and the Government clearance agency to clear unexploded ordnance from at least 500 hectares of land, benefiting around 30,000 people.

Australian ODA to Laos, 2001-02 to 2012-13

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The graph above shows the Australian Official Development Assistance to Laos, including AusAID funding and funding by Other Government Departments (OGD).

The exact values are as follows:

• 2001-02: AusAID $19,288,027. OGD $597,976
• 2002-03: AusAID $17,212,848. OGD $483,712
• 2003-04: AusAID $17,554,707. OGD $996,043
• 2004-05: AusAID $17,050,886. OGD $914,138
• 2005-06: AusAID $20,622,166. OGD $906,856
• 2006-07: AusAID $24,644,062. OGD $1,404,491
• 2007-08: AusAID $36,765,489. OGD $1,778,825
• 2008-09: AusAID $33,059,917. OGD $1,897,185
• 2009-10: AusAID $43,430,677. OGD $2,960,467
• 2010-11: AusAID $52,909,975. OGD $3,703,730
• 2011-12: AusAID $45,462,267. OGD $3,819,915
• 2012-13: AusAID $45,625,673. OGD $3,106,240

Australian ODA to Laos by strategic goal, 2009-10 to 2012-13 (%)

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The graph above shows Australian Official Development Assistance to Laos by strategic goal.

The exact values are as follows (%):

• 2012-13
  Saving lives: 16
  Promoting opportunities for all: 30
  Sustainable economic development: 27
  Effective governance: 16
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 9
  Cross cutting: 2
• 2011-12
  Saving lives: 8
  Promoting opportunities for all: 43
  Sustainable economic development: 34
  Effective governance: 10
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 5
  Cross cutting: 1
• 2010-11
  Saving lives: 14
  Promoting opportunities for all: 35
  Sustainable economic development: 37
  Effective governance: 5
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 9
  Cross cutting: 1
• 2009-10
  Saving lives: 11
  Promoting opportunities for all: 39
  Sustainable economic development: 35
  Effective governance: 4
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 6
  Cross cutting: 5

Other ODA in Whole of Government 2010-11 to 2012-13

The graph above shows the Australian Official Development Assistance to Laos by Other Government Departments.

The exact values are as follows:

• Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research:
  2010-11: $3,583,417. 2011-12: $3,873,760.
• Education, Employment and Workplace Relations:
  2010-11: $116,118. 2011-12: $57,507.
• Immigration and Citizenship:
  2010-11: $4,195. 2011-12: None
• Industry, Innovation, Science, Research & Tertiary Education:
  2010-11: None. 2011-12: $194,100.

Research overview

Good research can lead to positive change for the world's poorest by enhancing the design and implementation of development policies and programs. That's why AusAID is committed to an innovative research portfolio and funds research, including through:

• competitive funding mechanisms (such as the Australian Development Research Awards)
• research partnerships with different Australian, international and developing country research institutions
• commissioning research to address a specific question or clearly defined research gap
• one-off research grants, when an existing program of research is relevant to the Australian aid program.

More information on how AusAID funds research

Economic Research on trade facilitation in the Mekong

Australian funding to infrastructure projects in Laos are part of a greater Mekong connectivity initiative to improve local people’s access to markets through infrastructure and trade reform.

Australia is supporting infrastructure initiatives to improve economic growth and poverty reduction in the Mekong. Photo: Jim Holmes / AusAID

In 2010, AusAID commissioned the Centre for International Economics [external website] to produce a report on the economic benefits of increased trade and transport facilitation in the Greater Mekong Subregion to reinforce the economic case for Australia’s investments in these areas.

The report presents evidence to suggest that economic integration is playing an important role in the dynamic performance of the subregion, but that there is scope to expand this role by further reducing the costs of cross-border trade and transport. In most countries there is considerable room for improvement in trade and transport facilitation, and feasible changes could yield significant increases in national incomes. The evidence suggests that complementing infrastructure investments with procedural reforms to reduce costs and delays of cross-border trade could bring about sizeable economic benefits.

CSIRO Mekong Futures

The Exploring Mekong Region Futures project [external website] aims to improve the sustainability of the Mekong Region by investigating the complex relationships between the production, distribution, and use of energy, food and water of the region.

The project focuses on the dynamic interactions that occur between the management of food, energy and water at local and regional scales.

Changes in countries in the Mekong region are shaped by factors such as cross- border investment flows, climate change, rapid land use change and urbanisation, and increasing regionalism.

Understanding this connectivity of the Mekong region requires both local and regional studies.

Challenge Program on Water and Food Mekong Basin Challenge, and the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol

The Australian Mekong Water Resources Program is funding research by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) [external website] to improve decision-making processes on hydropower development. The research program commenced in 2011 and will start demonstrating results by 2013.

Through the CPWF and its partner the Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience, Australia has also funded the development and application of a hydropower sustainability assessment protocol in the Greater Mekong Subregion.