ASIAN DISASTER REDUCTION CENTER
Visiting Researcher Program (FY2023)
Laos Country Report 2023

Report by Ms. Sonekham Phommahaxay
Ministry of labour and social welfare , Department social welfare, Disasterprevention Division , Laos PDR
2023

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Contents
1. General information……………………………………………………………………...3
1.1 Geographical Datea…………………………………………………………………….3
1.2 Climate Chang
information…………………………………………………………….4
1.3 Dimograhpic
Data………………………………………………………………………..5
2. Disater Risk Situation in
Laos…………………………………………………………..5
2.1 Role and significance of national Strategy on Risk
Reduction……………………..7
2.2 Historical Diasater Situation andimpact……………………………………………..83 Relate Laow andRegulation……………………………………………………………12
3.1 National Socio-Economic Development panl………………………………………13
3.3 Achievements in Disaster management for Lao PDR……………………………..15
4. Key Changes and Lessons Leared…………………………………………………...19
4.1 Key problems and challenges………………………………………………………..19
4.2 Lessous Learned………………………………………………………………………212

5. Develop National Stategy for DRR 20212030……………………………………….25
6. Counterpart of
ADRC…………………………………………………………………...25
7. References………………………………………………………………………………25

1.General information
1.1 Geographical Datea
Laos is a Landlocked Country location in Sourheast Asia borderred by
Burma, com Plateau in China through Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia andViet Nam. Most of the country is Mountainous and thickly forested, and The
Mekong River form a large part of the western bondary with Thailand , TheMekong river has a length of approximately 4,900 km, flowing from its source on3the Tibetan Plateau in China through Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia andViet Nam via a large delta into the sea, Mekong River length in laos 1683 km, Laosis have Main Rever 7 River is Nam tha River a length 325 km, Namsong River 36
km ,Nam Ngum River 354 km ,Namkaan River , Nam ou River 448 km, Nam
xeBangfai River and Nam Banghiang River, have 17 provinec 148 District, Divided
into three area isNorthern,central and Sourhern.

1.2 Climate Chang General information
Lao PDR is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, particularly floods,
landslides, and droughts. A conducted by the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment (MoNRE) and UN-Habitat indicates that 46% of the settlements in
Lao PDR, representing around three million people, have been impacted by at least
one climate change-related hazard.1 In 2018, the country suffered its most costly
floods in a decade following heavy rains from two tropical cyclones. Overall, morethan 600,000 people across all 18 provinces were affected by the impact of the two
tropical cyclones. In addition, climate change and changing rainfall patterns canincrease the incidence of landslides and droughts. However, there is limited
evidence that disaster risk and climate change considerations are routinely
incorporated into urban or spatial planning in Lao PDR.

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Lao People's Democratic Republic has a tropical climate, which is influenced
by the southeast monsoon which causes significant rainfall and high humidity. The
climate is divided into two distinct seasons: rainy season or monsoon, from May to
mid-October, followed by a dry season from mid-October to April. The averageannual rainfall is about 1,300 – 3,000 mm. Average temperatures in the northernand eastern mountainous areas and the plateaus are 20°C , and in the plains 2527°C.

1.3 Dimograhpic Data
Laos's total population was 7.58 million in January 2023. Data shows that
Laos's population increased by 105 thousand (+1.4 percent) between 2022 and2023. 49.6 percent of Laos's population is female, while 50.4 percent of the
population is male.Feb 14, 2023

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2.

Disaster Risk Situations in Lao PDR
Lao PDR is a landlocked country, with a number of unique geographicalregions. About two-thirds of the land area is mountainous. The country has atropical climate with two seasons. The dry season is between mid-October andmid-May and is influenced by the northeast monsoon, mainly during October to
February. The coolest period of this season is November to January while thehottest period is from March to May. The rainy season is from mid-May to midOctober, when the southwest monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and the Gulfof Thailand bring high humidity into Lao PDR. Between July and September there
are heavy rainfalls, especially very frequent rainfalls in August. The average annual
rainfall across the country is between 1,900 to 3,500 mm. The wet season is
generally hot to extremely hot.
Due to its geographical conditions and the location of the country, Lao PDR
has a high risk from natural disasters and climate change, such as floods, droughts,
storms, and landslides, as well as epidemics, etc. The country still relies on natural
resources and agricultural production and has limited and insufficient disasterprevention, preparedness and response capabilities, and this is partly why it

6remains a least developed country. Climate change is also a risk factor for Lao PDR,
as

more people will be affected by natural disasters. Increasing rainfall andtemperatures are expected to alter the Mekong hydrological system, and flood anddrought risks are expected to increase.
The National Disaster Risk Report 2010 indicated the situations of risk andvulnerable areas affected by major disasters such as floods, landslides, storms anddroughts as follows:+ Flood risk areas: 8 rivers are risky for flooding, include: Nam Ou, Nam
Ngum, Nam Ngiep, Nam Xan, Xe Bang Fai, Xe Bang Hieng, Xedon and Xe Kong.
The data analysis indicated that many districts located along the eight rivers arevulnerable to floods in different areas and depths. It was estimated that a total of
115,322 people in the eight flood-prone areas are unable to help themselves or still
dependent on other people, who are at risk of being affected by the floods, of which
77% are in floodplains with a depth of more than 2 meters. In addition, theinfrastructure that is at risk and may be affected by floods, includes: residentialbuildings and housing, agriculture, hospitals / clinics (health centers), schools,
clean water sources etc.
+ Storm risk areas: This includes typhoons or cyclones, and tropical storms,
which cause strong winds and heavy rain as well as hailstorms that may cause
death or injury and affect or damage property of people, residential houses, publicbuildings, schools, hospitals, agricultural production areas etc. It was estimatedthat approximately 67.96% of the population may be affected by these storms withintensity of 63.17 km/h about 28.45% will be affected by tropical low pressure in
the range of 0-62 km/h; about 3.53% will be affected by Type 1 storms with theintensity of between 119-153 km/h; and about 0.06% will be affected by Type 2
storms with the wind speeds of between 154-177 km/h, mainly in Khammouane
province.
+ Drought risk areas: Droughts mostly have direct impacts on agriculture
and food security, people's livelihoods, clean water sources, and sanitation. The
data analysis indicated the common drought risk areas in different provinces withmoderate and severe levels.

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Affected Population by Hazard (1990-2018)
HF 1%

EP 8%

HOUSE FIRE

DR 9%

FLOOD/FLASH FLOOD (FL)ACCIDENTST 10%STORM/LIGHTNING (ST)
COLD WAVEDROUGHTFL 72%ELEPHANT ATTACK

Source: MLSW, Government of Lao PDR, 2020, using data from Lao-Di (1990-2018)

Figure 1 shows that floods accounted for 72% of those affected by disasters,
during 1990-2018. Storms, droughts, and epidemics affected 10 percent, 9 percent,and 8 percent of the population respectively.
2.1 Role and Significance of a National Strategy on Disaster Risk Reduction
The Government has recognized the importance and necessity of continuing
to reduce poverty and promote better living standards and opportunities for theLao people through sustainable development, especially in terms of operational
capacity and resource availability for disaster risk reduction, preparedness,
emergency response and recovery. The DM Law in 2019 and NSDRR in 2021, andthe changes in the legal framework and the institutional arrangement it brings, areaimed at addressing this issue. This National Strategy on Disaster Risk Reduction
to 2030 is significantly important and has the goal to strengthen disastermanagement in prevention and reduction of disaster impacts, preparedness
emergency

responseandrecoveryafteradisaster,includingresilientreconstruction. The intention is to extend the implementation of the DM Law
adopted in 2019, and also to implement regional and global policies and strategies
on DRR, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030(SFDRR), the Paris Agreement on climate change, the ASEAN Agreement on
Disaster Management and Emergency Response, the ASEAN Action Plan on
Disaster Management and Emergency Response for 2021-2025, the ASEAN
Declaration on Unity in Disaster Response, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development (the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs).
2.2 Historical Disaster Situations and Impacts

8In the past, Lao PDR has faced increasing losses from severe climate andclimate-related disasters, especially floods, droughts, landslides, summer storms
and cyclones, in addition to epidemics, earthquake, and large areas of the land
being contaminated with UXO. From 1970 to 2019, there were 37 significant natural
disasters (mostly floods and droughts) that affected nearly 9 million people andcaused economic damage . Flood is the major natural disaster in Lao PDR, with
the Mekong river and its tributaries the main sources of regular floods. The
development of hydropower projects generates more impacts on the hydrologicalsystem of the Mekong River with discharge of water from the dams. Without proper
water management, the flood risk from such projects will increase.
Lao PDR has experienced a number of major flood disasters, including thefloods caused by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009 and Typhoon Haima-Nokten in 2011,
which caused damage of US$ 248 million. There was also a significant flood in2013 that caused damage of more than US$ 270 million. The most notable floods
were those caused by Typhoon Son-Tinh and the collapse of the Xe Pian-Xenam
Noi Dam in Attapeu Province in 2018, and Typhoon Bebinca and severe floods in
2019, all of which had a significant impact on socio-economic development. The
estimated total flood damage in 2018 was LAK 3,166.9 billion (approximately
US$ 371 million) or about 2.1 percent of GDP. The impacts of the Covid-19 virus
outbreak have also forced the Government to revise and adjust its 2020 economic
growth targeted from 6.5 percent to 3.3 to 3.6 percent, based on macroeconomic
projections.
Lao PDR has been severely affected by floods between July and September
2018.’ (currently says ‘in recent months’). On July 18–19, Tropical Storm Son-Tinhcaused heavy rains and flooding in 55 districts of 13 provinces across the country.
On the night of July 23– 24, a breach in the Xe Pien-Xe Nam Noy hydropower saddle
dam caused an unprecedented flash flood in Attapeu Province. And on August 16–
18, Tropical Storm Bebinca also affected the northern part of Lao PDR. The postdisaster needs assessment (PDNA) valued the total overall effects of the floods
on the economy at an estimated 3,166.99 billion Lao kip, or approximately
US$371.5 million (see Table 1). Total damage accounted for 1,253.10 billion Laokip, and losses totalled 1,914.02 billion Lao kip.

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In terms of geographical spread, Vientiane Capital, Huaphanh, Khammuane,
and Attapeu were worst affected. Attapeu and Huaphanh had the highest percapita impacts. Following the dam break, Attapeu Province had damage and losses
estimated at US$35 million—just under 10 percent of the total effects—an amountthat includes additional flooding from heavy rains The floods produced different
effects across economic and social sectors. Agriculture, including crops, fisheries,
livestock, forestry, and irrigation, suffered the most losses, amounting to 57
percent of the total losses. The transport sector, including roads, bridges, transport
services, and government buildings, accounted for 65.6 percent of the overall
damage and 40 percent of losses. The waterways sector was also heavily affected.
Overall, the public domain was heavily affected in terms of both losses and damage,especially the productive and infrastructure sectors. Private domain losses were
driven by reduced income to farmers, persons involved in small- and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs), and those providing services in the culture and tourism
sectors. Small farmers, workers, and owners of SMEs have directly felt the burdenof the disaster.

In 2018 floods affected each economic and social sector differently, with theagriculture and forestry sector, including crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry and10irrigation, facing severe losses, up to 57 percent of the total losses. The transport
sector, including roads, bridges, transport services and government buildings,
accounted for up to 65.5 percent of the total damage. Overall, the state sector
faced severe effects in terms of loss and damage, especially in the areas ofproduction and infrastructure. The damage to the private sector is due to declining
incomes of farmers, individual people engaged in small and medium enterprises,
and those who provide services in the cultural and tourism sector. Smallholder
farmers, workers and owners of small and medium enterprises were directly
burdened by the disasters, as shown in Table 2.
Table 1: Economical Damage and Losses by Floods in 2018
Damage

Loss

Total

(billion(billion(billion

LAK)

LAK)

LAK)

Housing and settlement

21.12

0.57

21.69

Education

18.73

1.68

20.41

Health and Nutrition

8.58

3.32

11.89

Culture

10.11

0.25

10.36

139.801,087.60

1,227.30

Industry and Commerce

0.80

2.99

3.78

Tourism

21.87

9.59

31.46

Transport

822.02785.801,607.82

Electricity

42.20

3.20

45.40

Water and sanitation

50.96

19.02

69.98

Waterway

116.90Total (billion LAK)

1,253

1,914.02

3,166.99

Total (million USD)

147

224.5

371.5

SectorSocial sector:

Production sector:
Agriculture:

Crops,

Livestock,

Forestry,

Irrigation

Infrastructure sector:

116.90Source: PDNA Report 2018
Figure 2: Major hazards of Lao PDR, identified in terms of Multiple Damageand Loss Indicators (1990-2018)11

Hazards

Deat

InjuredAffected

Destroye

DamageEconomih

Populatio

Populatiod Housesdc LossnnHousesFlood
Drought
Storm
Epidemic
House
Fire
Accident
s

1

2

3

4

Key: 1 Red = high impact (> 30%). 2 Brown = Moderate impact (10-30%). 3. Gold =Low impact (5-10%). 4 Blue = Very low impact (1-5%). White = Zero impacts.

Source: MLSW, Government of Lao PDR, 2020, using data from Lao-Di (1990-2018)3.

Related Laws and Regulations
The DM Law 2019 sets out disaster management principles and measures

to make implementation efficient, effective and modern, ensuring information isprovided quickly and clearly, and aiming at surveillance, reduction of disaster
impacts on health, life, property of the state, communities and people, theenvironment and infrastructure, including recovery, restoration and rebuilding aftera disaster. It can be linked to regional and international cooperation, contributions
to green and sustainable socio-economic development and national security. The
Government policy considers the importance of disaster management by
formulating the strategy, measures, action plans, programs/projects, education,awareness raising, staff allocation, information, budget, equipment, vehicles, andmobilizing assistance to ensure peaceful, safe, efficient and effective work and a12reduction of risks to life, health, property, rights and legitimate interests of citizens.
The DM Law identifies three main tasks as follows:
1) Disaster prevention tasks aim to prevent and mitigate disaster risks,such as data collection and inventory of risk areas, risk zoning, risk
mapping, risk information system development, access and use of
information, risk assessment and mitigation, disaster preparedness andresponse, early warning, and announcement of evacuation;2) Disaster management tasks aim to limit the disasters that are occurringso that they won’t cause serious harm or significant damage to health,life, property of the state, community and people, which needs actions
such as ensuring safety, emergency assistance, search and rescue,
initial impact and need assessments, repairing essential infrastructure,
declaration of a disaster area, and cancellation of the declared disasterarea; and
3) Post-disaster rehabilitation tasks are aimed at rehabilitation of
livelihoodsofdisastervictims,

restoration

andrebuildingtheinfrastructure that was affected and/or damaged by a disaster to thesame standard or better than before, requiring actions such PDNA, postdisaster recovery planning, implementing the post-disaster recovery,
and monitoring and evaluating the recovery.

The Decree on Social Welfare sets out principles, regulations and measures
for implementing social welfare policies for disaster victims and otherdisadvantaged people in order to ensure they receive assistances and services inan efficient, effective, fair and comprehensive manner.
3.1 National Socio-Economic Development Plans (NSEDP)1). 8-th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016-2020):
The Government has implemented resolutions of the 10th Party Congress, which
aimed to lead the country to become a middle-income country, to integrate with
regional and international cooperation, and to build the society with fairness andsolidarity that allows all people to access quality social services. In order to achieve
the goal, the NSEDP sets out the direction to ensure green and sustainable13

development, which uses economic development as the center for country
development, ensuring consistency and harmony between the development of theeconomy, social-cultural and environmental protection, as well as responding tonatural disasters in a timely manner and ensuring comprehensive ruraldevelopment in close connection with poverty alleviation of the people: the “Three
Build Policy”. The objectives and targets related to DRR were also identified, witha focus on effective preparedness for natural disasters and climate change, as well
as restoration of disaster damage to build back better. The tasks and key areas are
as follows:- The key areas related to DRR include to: establish and improve station
networks and warning systems in priority river basins; improve earthquake warning
stations; develop an effective and efficient natural disaster management andprevention plan (warning, response, emergency assistance, evacuation of people
and property, rehabilitation system) throughout the country; establish a disasterprevention and control system to ensure the safety of people in a timely manner
throughout the country; establish mechanisms and capacity building for disaster
impact reduction, emergency response to natural disasters in the areas of land usechange and forestry, agriculture, energy, industry and environment, including
integration of climate change adaptation into the priority areas (agriculture andforestry, water and health); establish a disaster prevention fund as an importantfinancial mechanism for coping with impacts; studying climate change anddisaster-prone areas, promoting research and applying new innovations; develop
national and local DRR and preparedness plans; set up a National Disaster
Emergency Coordination and Command Center and an ICT-Disaster Statistics
System.
- The key areas related to policies and legislation include: develop NSDRR
and programs; implement disaster response policies, such as the protection of
wetlands and forests in steep slope areas in order to reduce the risk tocommunities and unpredictable impact of natural disasters; develop a disaster law;develop a Decree on the National Disaster Prevention and Control Fund; develop
a guideline on integrating/mainstreaming the disaster impact mitigation activities
into NSEDPs, strategies, programs and plans of concerned sectors, especially inagriculture and forestry, water, and health sector.

142). 9th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2021-2025
identifies a goal and targets on disaster management by focusing on strengthening
prevention, control and post-disaster recovery as follows:- Systematically integrate adaptation to climate change and mitigation of
the impacts of climate change and natural disasters into relevant sector and local
development plans; develop SOPs on early warning for meteorological andhydrological hazards; implement management plans, prevention measures andmitigation of the effects of climate change and natural disasters effectively andefficiently (warning, prevention, and emergency assistance system); build
forecasting capacity on floods, droughts and earthquakes in high-risk areas
throughout the country; continue to improve and expand the meteorological andhydrological station network throughout the country; improve and expand the
National Early Warning Center as well as the network for receiving and transmitting
disaster information, forecasting and early warning effectively; improve the qualityof reporting, warning of extreme temperature, weather, earthquakes and waterlevels effectively.
- Enhance the prevention, control and recovery of natural and man-madedisasters by strengthening the capacity of the Disaster Management Committees
at both central and local levels in DRR and preparedness; promote theestablishment and capacity building on emergency reserves for national, provincial,
district and village level in order to provide timely and effective relief to disastervictims; and at the same time, strengthen the coordination between central
government agencies and local authorities in addressing damage and loss, provide
effective assistance to those affected by a natural disaster, and promoteparticipation of all sectors of society, as well as both domestic and internationalorganizations.
3.2 Sectoral Development Plans Related to Disaster Management
The National Social Protection Strategy sets out the goal for developing andstrengthening the social welfare system to be strong and effective in providing
relief services to disaster victims.
The 5th Five-Year Labor and Social Welfare Development Plan from 2021 to 2025
outlines the goal to strengthen the prevention, control and post-disaster recovery
to be strong and effective, focusing on disaster prevention, control and post15

disaster recovery and rehabilitation through capacity building on DRR and disaster
preparedness for Disaster Management Committees in both central and local level;
coordination between government agencies and local government in addressing
disaster losses effectively; promote all sectors in society, including both domestic
and international organizations, for disaster prevention, control and recovery.
3.3 Achievements in Disaster Management for Lao PDR
In the recent past, Lao PDR has experienced more natural disasters, more
impacts and losses, so the Government has focused on strengthening disasterprevention, preparedness and mitigation of the effects of disasters, as well as
post-disaster recovery. It has focused on developing and improving legislation fordisaster impact management and mitigation, such as DM Law No. 71/NA, the Law
on Meteorology and Hydrology No. 36/NA, the Decree on Climate Change No.
321/GOL, the Decree on Disaster Management Fund No. 631/GOL, the Decree on
Organisation and Roles of Disaster Management Committee No. 239/PM, the Draft
NSDRR, and the National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation.
Disaster management and climate change were mainstreamed into the NSEDP
and concerned sectoral development plans under the framework of Sustainable
Development and Poverty Alleviation, for example: in public works and transport
and agriculture and forestry sector, the annual drought and flood prevention action
plan was prepared, as well as a plan to deal with pest outbreaks.
The disaster management mechanism has also been improved and strengthened
by improving and establishing Disaster Management Committees in central,provincial, district and village level. Awareness-raising activities on disaster risks
and impacts as well as appropriate prevention and disaster loss reduction
measures for the community and society were also widely implemented. Disaster
preparedness plans were developed and updated annually, as well as disaster
response exercises were implemented at the national, provincial, district andvillage levels. Disaster impact assessment, emergency needs assessment and postdisaster recovery assessment tools were developed for concerned sectors, withcapacity building for application of the tool to responsible staff in both central andlocal levels.

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Weather forecasting and early warning were also developed and strengthened
through modernizing weather forecast methods, mechanisms and reporting,establishing the National Water Resources Information Center, upgrading andconstructing 163 meteorological and hydrological stations, setting up the National
Earthquake Information Center and building 15 new earthquake monitoring
stations across the country and also upgrading 2 stations. A community-basedalert system was developed and improved by launching a pilot project to use
mobile alert messaging tools through Lao Telecom, Lao Telecommunications
Enterprise, UNITEL and Beeline network; messages were also further broadcast
by using sound systems and loudspeakers (village loudspeakers).
Logistics to support emergency disasters was enhanced by improving the MLSW’s
warehouse in Km 17, equipped with materials and systematic placement of
supplied and consumption goods. The responsible social welfare warehousemanagement staff in both central and provincial level received trainings onlogistics and management of supplied and consumption goods, providing thetraining management warehouses (1 unit per province) for using for emergency
responseto

Oudomxay,

Xayabouly,

Bokeo,

Luangnamtha,

Khammouane,

Savannakhet, Sekong and Attapeu provinces.
During the emergency assistance and response, the Government had
advised and assigned the Disaster Management Committees in each level andconcerned sectors in both central and local levels to implement the assistanceeffectively and efficiently, ensuring that all disaster affected people receive
assistance quickly, timely, and with safe life during emergencies. Many central
party-state leaders also visited to motivate the affected people, to encourage anddirect the responsible parties to provide assistances in the disaster affected
provinces.
The Government had issued national disaster declaration areas andwelcomed international supports through the Central Disaster Management
Committee. In the aftermath of the national disaster, the Government had
coordinated with development partners and international organizations to ensure
immediate humanitarian assistance, including search-and-rescue, distribution ofrelief supplies, use of medical and emergency assistance supplies, construction of17

shelters and temporary evacuation centre, victim assistance and evacuation
activities. i
Post-disaster rehabilitation: The Government had allocated many billions LAK of
the state budget to use for post-disaster rehabilitation, by allocating to concerned
departments at the central and local levels, such as public works and transport,
agriculture and forestry, health, education and sports. Concerned sectors in central
and local level (provincial) also seek support from international partners to
implement emergency aid and recovery programs after a disaster, including
strengthening disaster and climate change management projects, so the impacted
people received assistance and recovered to their normal living conditions. Theirhouses were repaired or newly constructed, basic infrastructure such as roads andbridges, irrigation systems, public buildings and facilities, health services, cleanwater, electricity, etc. had been restored.
Important outstanding disaster recovery work was seen in Sanamxay district
Attapeu province, which had been successfully implemented. Success such associal welfare works, impact assessments and compensation, restoration of basic
infrastructure and job allocations, especially land clearing and allocation,
promoting and setting up production groups, construction of irrigation, building
permanent houses, electricity work, construction of a hospital, health centers, etc.
The total value of the compensation for the damage and post disaster recovery
was LAK 828,516 billion.
International Cooperation: Under the leadership of the Ministry of Investment
and Planning, the Government has established a Round Table process, whichbrings together governments and national development agencies, United Nations
agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector to ensure funds, timeand have the maximum impact in development across the country. It consists of
10 Sector Working Groups to coordinate actions among various stakeholders by
theme, covering: health, education, governance, infrastructure, macroeconomics,
trade and the private sector, mine action, illicit drug control, agriculture and ruraldevelopment, and natural resource management and the environment. A numberof Sub-Sector Working Groups provide additional platforms for coordination
around specific priorities within these sectors. Disasters, Climate Change &Environment is one of the Natural Resources & Environment Sub-Sector Working
18Groups, chaired by Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment, and Co-Chaired by UNDP.ii
Budget and Disaster Risk Financing: The Government has the main financial
tools for Disaster Risk Management, including 1). State Reserve Fund (SRF) (State
Budget Department, Ministry of Finance), 2). National Contingency Fund (State
Budget Department, MOF), 3). Social Welfare and Emergency Fund (Department
of Social Welfare, MLSW), 4). Road Maintenance Fund (RMF) (Ministry of PublicWork and Transport), and 5). Provincial Emergency Funds (Provinces). In 2016 thetotal resources allocated to these various funds include approximately LAK 800.6
billion for FY2014/15 (LAK 300 billion to the SRD, LAK 100 billion to the National
Contingency Fund, LAK 0.5 billion to the Social Welfare Fund, LAK 400 billion to
the Road Maintenance Fund and LAK 0.1 billion to the Provincial Emergency
Funds.iii
In recent years, the Government has participated in a pilot project on the firstregional catastrophe risk pool under the Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance
Facility (SEADRIF). The proposed catastrophe risk pool is designed as areinsurance-backed disaster liquidity facility, based on an upfront premium andproviding quick payouts when eligible disaster events occur. Lao PDR had
purchased the disaster insurance under the SEADRIF project in the value of US $5
million in the three-year term beginning from 2021, including two components:
Parametric Insurance with the value of US$ 3.5 million and Soft Trigger with thevalue of US$ 1.5 million. This project will be an important financial potential for
Lao PDR to provide emergency assistance in a disaster event.
4.

Key Challenges and Lessons learned
Although the disaster management in the past were positive progress andsuccess, there were also many problems, challenges and lessons to be addressedin the future.
4.1 Key Problems and Challenges-

Although the Government has made great efforts to provide emergency

assistance and post-disaster recovery, due to the limited budget and lack ofavailable disaster funds, the implementation of such work was delayed and unable
to meet the actual needs, such as the implementation of social welfare policy and19relief, social rehabilitation, infrastructure and production, etc. For example, during
2018 and 2019, many provinces were affected by floods, which caused damage tohousing and production areas, damage to socio-economic infrastructure such as
roads, bridges, irrigation, schools, electricity, etc., which need the budgets for both
emergency response and post-disaster recovery;-

The structural protection measures were not able to be implement to

the extent needed. for example, the investment in construction of flood protection
banks, riverbank landslide protection, and roadside landslide protection;-

The information and early warning transmission system to thecommunities in some areas is still limited, people receive the information late orcannot access the information quickly and in time, especially in remote rural areas,
due to lacking and outdated essential facilities and equipment;-

Disaster risk zoning identification and mapping, especially in high risk

provinces, districts, and villages is still not available. This resulted in thedevelopment of disaster risk prevention and mitigation plans facing difficulty, due
to the lack of data/information for sector development projects to avoid disasterdamages and losses, including to avoid generating new problems, for example: theflood disaster caused by Xe Pian Xe Namnoi dam development project;-

The established local Disaster Management Committees in mostprovinces, districts and villages still have limited knowledge of disastermanagement and disaster risk mitigation, which leads to lack of initiatives inplanning to prevent and respond to emergencies in advance, and this creates
difficulty in emergency response during a disaster event;-

Emergency response teams have limited capacity in some areas toprovide assistance during an emergency event, including lacking suitable andappropriate tools, vehicles, and equipment in accordance with the situation andcondition of the actual disaster, for example: rescue tools and equipment, rescueboats, equipment and tools for cleaning and keeping of corpses;-

Large and medium warehouses to store relief materials and equipment

for response during a large disaster emergency are still limited (only available inthe central level), while they are not available in local, province, and district levels.
Transportation systems and logistics management are not systematic, which leads20

to difficulty receiving large relief supply and consumption goods, some of whichwere expired, low quality, etc. for example: during the flood event in Attapeu
province in 2018, the facilities such as offices and meeting halls in the provinceand districts were used to store the relief aid;-

Zoning for evacuation centers, temporary shelters or emergency shelters

are not yet identified. This resulted in disaster impacted people not receiving
suitable temporary shelter or they were not safe, for example: during the flood
disaster event in Sanamxay district in 2018, many thousands of disaster impacted
people had moved into the shelters that were very crowded, humid, limited toilet
and bathroom facilities and insufficient clean water, some had diarrhea and flu, thedisadvantage groups such as children, new mothers, pregnant women, people withphysical disability, mental illness and depression, etc. suffered the most;-

Data collection and initial need assessments are not yet systematic,

unified and centralized. Different government sectors and international aid
organizations implement their own aspects. The impact and assessment forrecovery-

Most of the disaster risk reduction works focus on post-disasteremergency response, which still does not yet focus on investing in resilient
infrastructure of critical infrastructure due to insufficient budget;-

Basic sector data/information for emergency response is limited and thedata/information recording is not systematic; and capacity building on supporting
implementation of DRR activities at the national, provincial, and district levels is
also limited.
4.2 Lessons learned-

Increase the investment in disaster prevention, emergency response

preparedness and DRR, as well as post-disaster recovery that ensures safety andresilience to future disasters;-

Mainstream DRR into priority tasks in socio-economic development

plans in each period, strategies, programs and projects of government at all levels,
institutions, business sector and local communities under the frameworks ofsustainable development, socio-economic development and poverty reduction;

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-Strengthen information and early warning transmission systems toensure that people have access to and receive early warning information quickly
and in time, especially in remote rural areas, as well as using modern equipment
to facilitate the system;-

Conduct studies on risk identification and disaster risk mapping in highrisk areas at provincial, district and village levels, to be used in the development ofdisaster prevention and mitigation plans and to provide information to concerned
sectors for project developments to avoid disaster losses and creating of new
disaster problems;-

Build the capacity of the Disaster Management Committees from thecentral to local level, including provincial, district and village levels, in order toenhance their knowledge on DM and DRR, and enable them to initiate disasterprevention plans and prepare for emergency response in advance;-

Strengthen the emergency response teams, for example, search-and-rescue teams, medical assistance teams, emergency shelter assistance, as well as
procurement and provision of adequate and appropriate vehicles, materials andequipment;-

Setup and improve the warehouse system for emergency equipment at

the central, provincial and district levels that have high disaster risk, as well as
strengthen the logistics system to be ready for effective implementation during adisaster event;-

Identify zoning for evacuation centers, temporary shelters or emergency

shelters to accommodate the disaster victims who will be evacuated during
emergencies, and to ensure that they have all the facilities, such as safety intemporary shelters, sanitation facilities, clean water, etc.;-

Strengthen the coordination mechanism for emergency assistance andpost-disaster recovery, including impact and needs assessments for emergency
assistance and disaster recovery in a systematic, unified and centralized manner;-

All sectors must increase their ownership in collection and creation ofdisaster risk data/information related to their sector in a systematic manner andshare with all parties, including the Disaster Management Committee Secretariat
to record in a national disaster integration database;22-Enhance climate change adaptation in different sectors, such as

agriculture, cropping, etc. to build resilience to the risks from climate change;-

Both public and private investment projects should consider social andenvironmental impacts to ensure that they won’t create a new risk and adversely
impact the people in the project development areas;-

Raise awareness and build understanding of the public, society, private

sector, as well as other entrepreneurs on disaster impacts and the need to change
the concept of disaster risk and impact prevention, mitigation, and disaster
preparedness to increase their contribution and participation to disaster risk
reduction, as well as responsibility for their activities;-

Prevention, control and post-disaster recovery measures for the periods

during, and after a disaster, should be clearly identified;-Increase cooperation and seek assistance from international partners toenhance capacity, develop and transfer technology, support the implementation ofdisaster prevention, preparedness response, and post-disaster recovery.
5.

Develop National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021-2030

VisionBy 2030 Lao PDR will be strong in disaster management, able to reduce the damage
and loss from disasters to the society, economy and environment, and able tointegrate DRR in National Socio-Economic Development Plans and sectoral plansin each period.
Overall Goal
By 2030 the Disaster Management and Risk Reduction System will bestrengthened and more effectively developed, with the goal of strengthening
disaster prevention, control and post-disaster recovery.
The NSDRR sets out the strategies, objectives and priority focus areas. It isfundamental for the implementation of the Disaster Management Law, thedevelopment and implementation of national disaster risk reduction plans, andalso for integrating disaster risk reduction into the development plans over the next
decade from 2021 to 2030, in line with the Sendai Framework is Following this 7
Strategy .
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Strategy 1: Develop and strengthen the disaster prevention system, disaster risk
reduction, disaster preparedness and response.
Strategy 2: Strengthen disaster response and emergency assistance.
Strategy 3: Develop and strengthen post-disaster recovery.
Strategy 4: Strengthen sectoral coordination on disaster risk reduction, emergency
response and recovery.
Strategy 5: Enhance national and local DRR education and training
Strategy 6: Promote participation and stakeholder engagement and inclusion.
Strategy 7. Budget and disaster risk financing( National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021-2030)

6.

Counterpart of ADRC-

Ministry of labour and social welfare, Department Social welfare
Department ,Disaster Prevention Division .

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-Address: Nonesaard villge , Xaythany District 01170 p.o box lao PDR,
Vientiane capital-

WWW.molsw.gov.la-ndmolao@gmail.com and call +85620 213003

7.References- Climate chang coutry report in laos PDR 2023 (form UN-HABITAT) LAO PDR
COUNTRY OFFICE Avi Sarkar Regional Advisor – South-East Asia, UBS, Head of
Office Lao PDR, UN-Habitat EMAIL avi.sarkar@un.org- refened www.worddometers.info for Dimograhpic Data
- refened PDNA Lao PDR report 2018
- refened National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021-2030 Laos PDR

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