(KPL) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune led a delegation from Laos in participating in the 11th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development: Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions in Asia and the Pacific.

The meeting, also attended by leaders from countries in the region, reaffirmed the importance of implementing sustainable development goals, climate change, economic, financial crises that all countries need to address to advance the implementation of sustainable development goals.

Delivering remarks at the meeting, Deputy Minister Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune reaffirmed the commitment of the Lao government to implementing sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030 and called on other member countries to increase cooperation, collaboration and improve mechanisms of multilateral cooperation frameworks so as to achieving common goals in post Covid-19 recovery and addressing global crises.

He also briefed the meeting about the preparation of the third voluntary national report of the Lao PDR which will focus on: reviewing the implementation of Agenda 2030 and setting out directions for accelerating the implementation; raising of support for national programmes and strategies, and SDGs; identifying major challenges in implementing SDGs. 

On the same day, Mr Phoxay also met with Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General to discuss the implementation of sustainable development goals in the Lao PDR, common agenda of the United Nations, preparation for the Summit of the Future and Laos’ chairmanship of ASEAN.

The Lao delegation also had meetings with their counterparts from Azerbaijan, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

KPL