Speeches Shim
From February 18 to 22, 2019, senior Lao government officials visited Vietnam’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), a center of excellence for nutrition in the region. Their visit occurred in advance of the highly anticipated launch of the new National Institute of Nutrition in Laos, and was made possible with support from the U.S. government.
On February 20, 2019 the United States and Lao governments officially launched an intellectual property web portal at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Vientiane.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) presented a handbook on the use of natural dyes in handicraft production to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) of the Lao PDR at a handover ceremony on December 11, 2018, in Vientiane. The event, which was held at Salana Boutique Hotel, was chaired by Dr. Alexandria Huerta, Director of USAID’s Laos Country Office, and Mrs. Bansati Thepphavong, Director General of the Permanent Secretary Office of the MOIC, with more than 20 government officials, entrepreneurs and representatives from private companies in attendance.
The United States Embassy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, hosted the Third Lao Digital Forum on December 14, 2018. The forum focused on opportunities for e-commerce in Lao PDR and how to best encourage its growth. It was chaired by Minister of Industry and Commerce Khemmani Pholsena, U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter, and German Ambassador Jens Peter Lütkenherm. More than a hundred and fifty representatives from government ministries, private firms, domestic and foreign business leaders, and non-governmental organizations attended.
U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter visited U.S. government funded relief projects for people affected by recent flash floods and met with Provincial Governor Leth Xayaphone and local officials to discuss recovery efforts during her recent trip to Attapeu Province on September 10-11, 2018 as part of the United States’ ongoing support to the Government of Laos’ efforts to help local people affected by the disaster.
U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter announced the deployment of an assessment team and the immediate release of $100,000 for emergency relief in Attapeu Province and nearby flood-affected areas of Southern Laos on Friday, July 27.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, provided training on natural dyeing and digital marketing for women-owned businesses from May 28-June 15, 2018 in Xiengkhouang and Houaphanh provinces. More than 50 women entrepreneurs participated in the 3-week training courses, where they learned how to improve product quality and increase sales in both domestic and international markets.
U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter made opening remarks at the first-ever Lao Digital Forum held on January 26. The Forum focused on the global digital economy revolution and its potential benefits for microenterprises and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Laos, as well as the policy environment needed to harness the benefits of the digital economy.
The United States and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic are working to prepare for future disasters through a new project called “Prepared and Resilient Communities in Lao PDR” funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). On January 31, U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Government of Laos and USAID’s implementing partners, The Asia Foundation and Luminous Action Organization, in Luang Prabang Province.
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