Lao people have developed traditional coping methods in response to floods. However, the Lao PDR is vulnerable from the health perspective. Many of the remote villages where ethnic communities are living have poor communications and are inaccessible by road for most of the year. Health education is a challenge both because of the remoteness of many villages, and also because of the diversity of languages, many of which are not written. In the second group are Germany, Australia and Sweden with a level of development support around USD20 million each.
Development aid accounts for almost half of the government budget.
UNDP and five other UN bodies are working in the Lao PDR, and the EU also has an office in Vientiane. The Federation representative has an official status in-country although no formal agreement has been signed. There is a strong liaison and co-operation with UN agencies and embassies. There is also an open channel of communication with the principal Ministries i.e. the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The Lao Red Cross Society has been in transition since 1992.