"The Lao PDR highly values its long-standing partnership with UNICEF. For more than five decades it has delivered tangible results for children and families across the country," said Mr Thongphane Savanphet, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to the United Nations. "The new country programme document for the Lao PDR, 2027–2031, is the outcome of an inclusive and consultative process. It aligns with priorities of the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2026-2030 and responds to the needs of children across the country."
Developed with the Government of the Lao PDR, the programme centres on four priorities: the first 1,000 days of life; learning and skills; the empowerment of adolescents; and access to safe water and a clean environment.
"A country programme is a set of promises made to children," said Mr. Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, UNICEF Country Representative in the Lao PDR. "The programme is designed to lighten the load on the children who are furthest behind, and to give every child in the Lao PDR — wherever they are born — a strong start. None of that happens without the government's own investment, and without partners willing to work side by side to reach the most vulnerable."
The programme also comes as the Lao PDR completes its graduation from least developed country status this year, a shift UNICEF says will require sustained domestic investment in health, education and social protection as the economy grows.
The UNICEF Executive Board approved a new five-year Country Programme Document (CPD) for Lao PDR at its Second Regular Session, held 1–4 September 2026 in New York. The programme marks the next phase of UNICEF's 53-year partnership with the Government of Lao PDR and is aligned with the country's 10th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2026–2030) and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2027–2031).
The new CPD has an indicative budget of $79.475 million for the five-year period — $8.635 million from UNICEF's regular resources and $70.84 million to be mobilized from other (donor) resources. It is organized around four components: First 1,000 Days (maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, early childhood development); Learning and Skills (education, foundational literacy and numeracy); Adolescent Empowerment and Inclusion (protection, social protection, skills for work and life); and Safe and Clean Environment for Children (climate resilience, WASH, disaster risk reduction).
The programme takes a life-course approach, prioritizing children and adolescents in remote and rural areas, non-Lao-Tai ethno-linguistic communities, girls at risk of child marriage, and children with disabilities. By 2031, the goal is for more children — especially the most vulnerable — to have equitable access to coordinated health, nutrition, education, protection and child-safe environmental services.