Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – On August 21, a delegation led by Phonevanh Outhavong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment of Laos, and Bakhodir Burkhanov, UN Resident Coordinator in Laos, visited the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) in Laos. Representatives from several international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN-Habitat, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held a working meeting at the Kapok Star Hotel.
At the meeting, Deputy Minister Phonevanh Outhavong affirmed the significant contributions made by the Bokeo Provincial Government and SSEZ developers to urban development and improving the living standards of the people in the SSEZ. However, she also pointed out that the SSEZ currently faces numerous challenges and limitations, requiring the government and developers to continuously improve governance to meet the needs of urban management. She stated that the Ministry of Planning and Investment will deepen cooperation with the SSEZ to jointly promote the implementation of relevant construction projects, particularly accelerating the construction of infrastructure projects connecting the SSEZ with domestic and foreign investors.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Laos, Bahodir, highly praised the Lao government and special economic zone (SEZ) developers for their positive achievements in addressing transnational crimes such as telecommunications fraud and money laundering. He also emphasized the importance of combating human trafficking, particularly protecting the human rights of women and children, and stated that the UN is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Lao government, SEZ developers, and all relevant parties to fully support and assist in resolving these issues through information support, the establishment of communication and coordination mechanisms, and personnel training. Furthermore, he expressed his hope that the SEZ would vigorously develop agriculture and industry, creating more jobs to drive economic development in Bokeo Province and even become a model for economic development throughout Laos.
Representatives from organizations such as the International Organization for Migration spoke at the meeting, offering constructive suggestions on various issues including SEZ development planning, human rights protection, foreign worker rights, public health, and transnational crime governance.
