Green Growth Potential Assessment – Lao PDR Country Report

The Green Growth Potential Assessment (GGPA) is a diagnostic tool developed by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) that consists of a combination of data analysis and stakeholder consultation in order to identify and prioritise a country’s opportunities for green growth. Based on these priorities, specific recommendations are developed, building on scientific evidence and successful examples from other countries as well as considering existing policy documents and technical analysis.

This report presents the findings of the GGPA for Lao PDR. It reviews in detail the challenges and opportunities across a number of sectors—agriculture and fisheries, forestry and land use, tourism, urban development and transport, energy and mines, and education—as well as provides recommendations for each sector. Specific recommendations include, for instance:

• Promote community participation in climate-smart agriculture and forestry, invest in agricultural modernisation through targeted small-scale irrigation and the introduction of modern seed/fertilizer technologies, and offer training in ecologically-based, climate-adapted farming approaches.
• Develop and train the Lao PDR agency staff in tools for spatial analysis to support decision-making and manage the sustainable use of natural resources, with the aim to improve the capacity of relevant ministries to effectively review, monitor, and enforce concession compliance as well as carry out EIAs and SIAs.
• Set up tourism management programs to develop high-value and sustainable tourist sites that better correspond with consumer demands. 
• Establish a shared planning vision and objectives for urban centers and align urban planning with a green growth model in order to balance current and projected urban growth with conserving/establishing green spaces. 
• Increase waste collection rates and divert waste from landfills by promoting recycling, including by supporting public-private partnerships (PPPs) that develop sustainable business models to overcome current disincentives for private companies.
• Promote off-grid renewable energy, such as small-scale (less than 1 MW) micro-hydro and solar installations, and facilitate the provision of microfinance services to assist households and communities with these installations in order to increase electricity access in rural and remote areas.
•  Promote vocational training programs on processing and adding value to natural resources products through PPPs to improve the match between labor skills and business demands, improve household incomes, and increase economic output and tax revenues.