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1. Civil society globally refers to groups distinct from the government and the private sector who
operate around shared interests, purposes and values. Of particular relevance to ADB around
the world are nongovernment organizations (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs),
peoples organizations, foundations, professional associations, private research institutes and
universities, labor unions, mass organizations, social movements, and coalitions/networks of
civil society organizations and umbrella organizations.1 These different types of groups together
are known as civil society organizations (CSOs).
2. ADBs internal global definitions of civil society and related stakeholder terminology sometimes
conflict with the same terms used by stakeholders in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
(Lao PDR).2 In the Lao context, three main civil society groups are considered to contribute to
civil society and are relevant to the terminology for civil society used by ADB (but these terms
are not always consistently used by all stakeholders):
2.1 International nongovernment organizations (INGOs), including international
research institutes.
2.2 Local civil society organizations (CSOs), which include local non-profit
associations (NPA), foundations, training centers, research institutes, social enterprises,
and community based organizations (CBOs), which may include agricultural production
groups, savings groups, micro-savings groups, handicrafts groups, co-operatives,
volunteer groups, and others. Often the members of CBOs are also the beneficiaries of
the group.
2.3 Semi-governmental organizations which were established by government decrees
but who remain at least partially independent and that are involved in the socioeconomic development of the country, such as the Lao Bar Association (LBA) and the
Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI).3
3. ADB recognizes these civil society groups as development actors in their own right whose
efforts complement those of the government and the private sector, and who play a significant
role in development in Lao PDR.
4. Mass organizations, while party-sponsored socio-political structures, do fulfill many civil society
roles and functions. As in neighboring countries, there is controversy over whether mass
organizations can be considered civil society, as their primary accountability is to the state, not
their members. However, some mass organizations in the Lao PDR play a very active role in
development at the sub-national and national levels, including through the provision of training
and capacity development, organizing community-based activities, and acting as facilitators for
development partners in rural areas. Mass organizations are characterized by strong vertical
networks, most having a representative in each village in Lao PDR linked to the district,
provincial, and national levels. The main mass organizations are the Lao Front for National
1 ADB. 2012.
2 Chiara Perticucci. 2014.
3 Wagner & Vongsana. 2013.
Construction, the Lao Womens Union, the Lao Federation of Trade Unions, and the Lao
Peoples Revolutionary Youth Union. In addition to Mass Organizations, in some sectors, there
is strong government support for community-based groups, such as Village Education
Development Committees (VEDCs). These village level groups, for example, are a policy of the
Ministry of Education, and their role is envisaged to cover a very active citizenship and
involvement in increasing the quality of education and community support for educating
children, and many civil society groups will engage with and work through these village level
structures when implementing activities.
5. There is general recognition, by both ADB and many of its stakeholders in the Lao PDR, that
strategic engagement with civil society represents an opportunity to increase aid effectiveness,
drive more innovative and efficient projects, reach a wider population, and manage risks.
However, in the Lao context, any strategy for engagement should align with the ADBs mission
and the Lao PDR governments development priorities, as well as being conducive to increased
long-term, inclusive collaboration among the government of the Lao PDR, the ADB, and civil
society stakeholders.4
6. There are currently about 165 INGOs operating in the Lao PDR 5 under Decree 13/PM, and the
guidelines for implementation were revised and approved in February 2015 (No.
1064/AE.OI.3).6 INGOs with offices in Lao PDR are almost without exception focused on
delivering development programs in sectors such as agriculture and rural development, health,
natural resource management, environment, education, explosive remnants of war, and gender.
7. In April 2009, the Prime Minister signed Decree 115/PM on Associations, allowing for
registration of NPAs for the first time. It required all organizations to re-register under the new
scheme. As of June 2015 there were approximately 130 fully registered NPAs, 7 but 84 of those
are at the provincial level and over 80% of those are for business development, for example the
Hotel, Restaurant, Resort and Guesthouse Association, or the Lao Coffee Association.
8. There are two main networks relating to civil society in the Lao PDR, the iNGO Network
comprising approximately 78 INGOs,8 and the Lao Civil Society Network (LCN) (formerly known
as the Lao NPA Network (LNN)), an informal network of NPAs involved in development work in
the Lao PDR, which has facilities for training and meetings and houses the offices of some
NPAs based in Vientiane.
II. SUMMARY OF LRM CSO ENGAGEMENT IN 2015
9. In the Lao PDR, there are several examples of successful government-civil society cooperation
in ADB-financed projects, many through the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) program.
Others, such as the Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project, also include substantial civil
society participation. The ADB has a long tradition of interacting with civil society at different
levels, particularly with those who are formally registered under government decrees.
Engagement between the ADB and civil society groups typically occurs in two ways in the Lao
PDR: 1) consultations, for example in terms of project design, and 2) the implementation of
some ADB-financed project components/activities with their own either resources or technical
4 Chiara Perticucci. 2014.
5 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of International Organizations. 2014.
6 INGO Network. 2015.
7 Data provided from MoHA and PoHA (Novak 2014)
8 INGO Network. 2015.
expertise or both.9 Motivated by missions rather than revenue, civil society groups strive to be
represent a much-needed check for ensuring that development projects achieve their social
value.
10. Examples of project-specific engagement in 2015 included:
Example 1:
Example 2:
Example 3:
III.
STAFFING
19. Implementing this civil society engagement plan requires staff time, both from HQ and from
LRM. The proposed staff members are as follows: [Pack to review/update]
IV.
LRM NGO Anchor (External Relations Officer; national staff): 25% of time dedicated
to supporting civil society engagement. As mission leaders develop contacts, the
time spent making contacts and setting up meetings may be reduced, and but
regular civil society outreach events will also require planning and follow up, as will
annual reporting (e.g. Civil Society Cooperation Report, LRM accomplishment report,
etc.), and monitor implementation of the LRM plan together with LRM officers
particularly monitor CSO participation in LRM delegated projects .
SERD Social Development Specialist (Civil Society and Participation): 20% of time to
support and monitor implementation of the LRM plan, particularly monitor projects
administered by SERD, including missions to support events or capacity
development as needed.
HQ and LRM mission leaders: time requirement will vary depending on the type of
project, but should include regular mission outreach with CSOs.
20. Monitoring will be done simply, with the main purpose of reflecting on implementation and the
impacts of the plan on LRM operations and relationships with civil society. The Plan will be
shared with CSOs and will be available online. The LRM NGO Anchor will summarize CSO
activities through regular annual reporting mechanisms such as the Civil Society Cooperation
Report (prepared by the ADB NGO and Civil Society Center) and the LRM Accomplishment
Report submitted to management. The CSO engagement plan will be more formally reviewed
at mid-term along with the CPS as a whole, to ensure that the Plan remains useful to ADB and
civil society stakeholders. SEHSs Social Development Specialist (Civil Society and
Participation) will provide monitoring support and report to SERD management on
implementation progress.