A Double Milestone in Vientiane
The European Union and the Government of Lao PDR marked a double milestone in their partnership this month, as the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment hosted two back-to-back workshops at the DoubleTree by Hilton Vientiane, with technical support from the EU funded SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component. The first day focused on harnessing the power of state spending; the second on charting the country’s circular economy. Together, the two events signal a coordinated effort to embed circularity and sustainable governance in Lao PDR’s national development frameworks and to bring the country’s sustainable development targets within reach. The workshops build on comprehensive regional programming, working in tandem with the broader EU SWITCH-Asia Grants Programme in Laos - which are currently EMP-ACT, Lasting Laos (Circular Economy and SCP), and SuPER WE Coffee - to drive ground-level transformation.
Taking Stock of Green Public Procurement
The series opened on July 22 with the Validation Workshop for the Evaluation of Lao PDR’s Green Public Procurement Action Plan 2022-2025. With the four-year plan drawing to a close, the task was to take stock of what has worked, and what has not, before the next phase of sustainable state purchasing begins. Institutional stakeholders scrutinized the preliminary evaluation findings to confirm they reflect realities on the ground, then worked in structured groups to pinpoint the execution gaps, capacity limitations, and administrative bottlenecks facing public purchasing units. Their recommendations will feed directly into the final evaluation report.
A Shared Vision for the Circular Economy
The following day, July 23, the National Visioning Workshop for the Circular Economy Action Plan of Lao PDR brought together experts from across sectors to set a unified strategic direction for the country. Their task was to turn the high-level principles of the circular economy into an aspirational national vision. Drawing on local resource data and international best practices, participants worked in break-out groups to examine high-impact sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. Their reflections were distilled into a preliminary national vision statement that will guide the upcoming action plan.
The workshop also feeds into the regional work of the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA), an EU SWITCH-Asia initiative that promotes private-sector leadership, shares local corporate case studies, and brings circular design solutions into the marketplace.
Building Broad Buy-In Across Society
Neither green procurement nor a circular economy can be delivered by government alone. The two workshops drew a deliberately broad audience — government ministries, non-government organisations, the private sector, international development organizations, educational institutes, and civil society, building common understanding and a strong sense of ownership among those who will carry the plans forward. The insights, data, and agreed comments gathered over both days will serve as a blueprint for Lao PDR’s next generation of green policies, driven by the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component’s ongoing mission to strengthen national policy frameworks towards a green and circular economy.
The policy work also complements broader Team Europe investments in the country, reinforcing the EU Global Gateway strategy by fostering high-quality investments in sustainable infrastructure, green energy, and resilient resource management and aligning with the co-funded Sustainable Consumption and Production in Lao PDR (SCP Lao) project implemented by Swisscontact. By linking national policymaking with Swisscontact's focus on waste management systems, eco-friendly small businesses, and civil society capacity building, the partnership bridges the gap between state policies and local action.
The week’s discussions likewise build on earlier achievements, notably the technical and financial assistance the programme provided alongside the World Bank to formulate the National Plastics Action Plan for the Lao PDR 2024-2030 (NPAP), which set early benchmarks for waste reduction and circular system modeling in the country.
Contact:
For more information on EU SWITCH-Asia covering Circular Economy and GPP in Laos contact: Ms. Elodie Maria-Sube, EU Policy Development and Stakeholder Engagement Expert, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, [email protected]. Learn more here.
