Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR; July 23, 2020 – The Department of Planning (DoP) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the National Institute for Economic Research (NIER) hosted a one-day workshop on the draft Green Growth Planning Manual in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR. The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) supported the development of this manual to facilitate greater mainstreaming of green growth initiatives into the national, local, and/or sectoral planning process. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Saykham Voradeth, Director of the Policy Research Division at NIER, and attended by 44 participants representing several key sectors as members of the secretariat committee for the National Green Growth Strategy.
Experts from the GGGI Lao Country Program presented and collected feedback on the Green Growth Planning Manual and explained how to use the manual. “This will enable participants to build a network and coordinate with relevant officials to bring it into practical implementation in different sectors concerned,” said Dr. Saykham in his opening remarks. Enhancing the understanding of participants on the green growth planning manual is important as they will facilitate this kind of training workshop in provinces across the country.
Designed as a process-oriented manual, the Green Growth Planning Manual provides guidance to government staff involved in planning at various levels to operationalize the National Green Growth Strategy (NGGS) and integrate the concept of green growth into the policies and plans of the government. It outlines a 9-step process from set-up and preparation for green growth planning to implementation and monitoring of green growth plans. Participants were divided into groups to do simulation and practices on the use of this manual to increase their understanding on some of key steps. Participants appreciated the effort by the government and GGGI for developing this manual as this will help guide them through a participatory process to develop or integrate green growth into their plans.
Working in collaboration with GGGI and World Bank, the Government of Lao PDR (GoL) approved its NGGS in January 2019 with an aim to achieving long-term socio-economic development that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI is supporting the GoL to integrate green growth into the next 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan 2021 – 2025 and mobilizing green investments to support the transition towards a green growth model and implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.