Reducing poverty and inequality is a major priority for the government of Laos, which seeks to expand and improve its services to the people by empowering local communities to identify their own priorities, manage their local development projects, and control their own finances at the local level.

The United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and UNCDF offer technical and financial assistance to a Laotian government program that provides clean water, schools, bridges, roads, as well as commercial infrastructure.

With the help of the Korea-UNDP MDG Trust Fund, Lao PDR identified priorities to accelerate its MDG progress by empowering local communities, especially among vulnerable groups including the poor, ethnic minorities, and women and youth. By shifting decision making from the central government to the villages, people may prioritize the projects most important to them.

Efforts are already underway to scale up the program to all the provinces of Laos. The hope is that with greater reach, economic progress, health, education, and social services can be accessible to everyone.