Development assistance in Laos
To support resilient and inclusive economic growth in Laos, our development partnership will focus on outcomes that ensure:
- Economic resilience is improved, including through support for economic reforms, public financial management and infrastructure connectivity policy
- Women, people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups benefit from economic reforms and improved economic opportunities.
Australia's economic programs will support key Lao economic reforms to ensure macro-economic stability and equitable growth. This will include targeted support for improved monetary and fiscal policy, increased trade and private sector development, high-quality investment and improved infrastructure policy.
A number of global and regional programs also contribute to this objective. See Annex 1 of the Australia–Laos Development Partnership Plan 2024-2029.
Lao PDR Competitiveness and Trade (LCT)
$4.5 million (2018-2025)
The LCT supports Laos in simplifying business regulations, facilitating trade and improving firm-level competitiveness, especially for woman-led and managed firms.
Related documents
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Lao PDR Competitiveness and Trade (LCT) Mid-Term Review | 2021 | Review |
| World Bank Document | 2018 | Design |
Public Financial Management in Lao PDR
$10 million (2021-2026)
Australia is supporting the Lao government to improve the management of its public finance and human resources. Specific areas of focus are public expenditure management, revenue mobilisation, debt management, and better management of the education budget. The investment also supports capacity building activities for the Lao Statistics Bureau to collect sex-disaggregated data and undertake gender, disability, and social inclusion analysis. This program is implemented through the Mekong Australia Partnership.
Laos-Australia Connectivity Partnership (LACP)
$10 million (2022-2025)
LACP is supporting the upgrade and development of cross‑border trade and logistics facilities. This is paired with capacity-building and technical assistance to build an integrated multimodal transport strategy. Together, Australian assistance is helping transform the Lao Government's approach to transport policy and planning, including building in climate and disaster risk considerations for a resilient transport system. LACP is implemented through the regional Partnerships for Infrastructure program.
Strengthening Gender and Social Inclusion Data and Analysis
$1.8 million (2022-2025)
This initiative helps address gaps in data collection by building the capacity of the Lao Statistics Bureau to collect sex-disaggregated data and to undertake gender, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) analysis.