The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The Secretary-General congratulated Lao PDR on its Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2016, noting particularly that Lao PDR is the first ASEAN Chairman following the establishment of the ASEAN Community, and welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action for 2016-2020.

The Secretary-General also welcomed the ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by Lao PDR as the first ASEAN Member to do so, and expressed the hope that other ASEAN Members would follow suit in the near future.

He noted the strength of Lao PDR’s partnership with the United Nations, particularly in the field of implementing Sustainable Development Goals, and welcomed the launch of country-specific SDG 18 on reducing the impact of unexploded ordnance in Laos.