Speeches Shim
On September 13, 2019, U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter announced a Disaster Declaration, and the immediate release of $100,000 in emergency relief in flood-affected areas of southern Laos. The people of the United States are concerned about the ongoing floods in southern Laos and are proud to support the people of the Lao PDR during this difficult time.
The United States continues its broad support for education and opportunity in Laos. On August 30 the U.S. Embassy formally launched a new basic education program in Laos with the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to officially begin a five-year “Learn to Read” program. The MOUs between the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and implementing partners Save the Children and Room to Read mark the beginning of implementation for this important new program that is funded by the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Continuing the United States deep support of the Lao health sector U.S. Ambassador to Lao PDR Rena Bitter presented more than 174,000 additional mosquito nets to Mr. Khamphone Phoutthavong, Deputy Minister of Health, at a ceremony in Vientiane on July 9. These mosquito nets will be distributed to families in rural areas of the southern province of Champasak, where the number of malaria cases remains high.
USAID partners with Laos to advance economic reforms, strengthen the rule of law, and improve health and education outcomes for the people of Laos – all of which help build Laos’ self-reliance while elevating its role on the global stage.
To date, USAID’s health investments in Laos have been sporadic and scattered, and have taken place in the absence of an overarching, cohesive strategy. USAID supports a range of disparate health activities in Laos, many of which are managed outside the country and some of which are not linked to an overall strategic effort. As a result, this first USAID Health Strategy for Laos seeks to provide a cohesive vision for the Agency’s bilateral, regional, and central investments in the health sector, through building resilience and sustainable capacity and systems to overcome key barriers to development.
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