Lao landscape

    Core area “Conserving nature and natural resources” Protection of forests and biodiversity

    Germany's development cooperation with Laos on this core area is geared towards two goals: one is to improve the conservation of the country's abundant forest resources and biodiversity, so that Laos can contribute to global climate action and biodiversity conservation in this way; the other is to improve the living conditions of the rural population by managing natural resources responsibly.

    Logo: Green Climate Fund

    Green Climate Fund

    The BMZ assists Laos in creating a more conducive environment for sustainable forest management, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, and restoring degraded forest areas. Efforts are under way to build the capacity of government oversight bodies in the forest sector and to sensitise people to environmental concerns. Assistance is being provided to enable Laos to build an agricultural and forestry sector that functions without deforestation, for instance by means of increasing productivity and improving the inclusion of farmers in agricultural value chains.

    One important achievement of Lao-German cooperation has been the approval of support funding from the Green Climate Fund. Financial assistance is also being provided to the country's efforts on forest conservation and climate action under the REDD+ mechanism, with funding from the World Bank's Forest Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (External link).


    Negotiations with the EU

    Germany's programmes in this core area are part of the Team Europe Green Initiative in the Lao PDR. On behalf of the BMZ, GIZ is assisting the Lao government in concluding a voluntary bilateral partnership agreement with the European Union. Its purpose is to reduce illegal logging, strengthen sustainable forest management, and improve forest sector governance. The partnership agreement will enable Laos to export legally produced timber to Europe.

    As at: 15/02/2023