Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Santiphab Phomvihane chairs a meeting on September 10. --Photo Ministry of Agriculture and Environment

Steering committee advances rural development, poverty reduction agenda

Preparations to implement the National Agenda on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction nationwide are nearing completion, with the central-level steering committee endorsing key documents and calling for detailed implementation plans from ministries and local authorities.
The National Assembly approved rural development and poverty reduction as a national agenda for 2027-2030, alongside two finance-related laws, including the new Law on State Treasury and amendments to the Law on State Budget, aimed at strengthening economic management.
The decisions were made during an Extraordinary Session of the 10th legislature held in July.
In addition, National Assembly members reviewed the government’s economic performance in the first half of 2026 and set priorities for the remainder of the year, providing a policy framework for implementing the national agenda.
The latest progress was reviewed at a meeting of the Central-Level Steering Committee Responsible for Drafting and Implementing the National Agenda held on September 10, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Santiphab Phomvihane, who also heads the steering committee. Deputy ministers, representatives of ministries and banks, senior departmental officials and representatives of other relevant sectors attended.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Kikeo Singnavong reported on preparations for implementing the national agenda, saying the working secretariat had formulated key documents and coordinated with relevant agencies to prepare for its nationwide rollout.
The secretariat is compiling a draft national action plan, a draft government resolution on the division of responsibilities, draft guidelines for implementing the national programme, and three versions of dissemination materials.
It has also coordinated with the relevant departments to identify target families, villages and districts for the programme.
At the same time, it is drawing up plans for provinces and Vientiane to make advance preparations, including establishing provincial-level steering committees, organising dissemination activities, and forming technical teams to coordinate with the central technical team.
The Ministry of Finance has allocated 10 billion kip to support the preparation of documents and nationwide dissemination of the national agenda.
The government is also revising Decree No. 348/Govt, with the proposed amendments to incorporate comments from government members.
Participants discussed the timing and venue for a pilot demonstration, budget allocation, and the content to be disseminated, stressing the need for a coordinated and unified approach to implementation.
Deputy Prime Minister Santiphab praised the working secretariat for its efforts in preparing the documents and urged it to incorporate the comments and recommendations raised during the meeting.
The meeting unanimously endorsed the four documents presented and instructed the secretariat to revise them in line with participants’ comments.
The steering committee and secretariat were also instructed to direct the relevant agencies to accelerate preparations and allocate sufficient time and resources to implement the action plan on schedule.
Ministries and local authorities were further encouraged to develop detailed operational plans for their respective sectors to ensure coordinated implementation and maximise the benefits of the national agenda for rural development and poverty reduction.
According to the 2025 national poverty assessment, which surveyed 1,283,251 families in 8,413 villages across 148 districts nationwide, 189,792 families—equivalent to 14.78 percent of all households surveyed—remain below the poverty line.
Through the implementation of the national agenda, the government expects to lower the poverty rate to about 8 percent by the end of 2030.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update September 14, 2026)