The Consultation Meeting on the Sustainability Plan of the National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) was held on 31 July 2025, chaired by Dr. Keovivone Outthachack, Vice-President of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES). The hybrid event gathered 85 participants including representatives from the EU Delegation, UNICEF, national ministries, provincial authorities from six target provinces, DPs, and UN agencies. The event was organized by SPRI-LASES, in collaboration with NIPN PAU, DAU, and UNICEF.
The chair emphasized the importance of NIPN in terms of evidence generation and its use in policy planning. She also stressed upon the need to sustain NIPN under the leadership of government with clear role and responsibility in close coordination with the development partners.
The Co-Chair highlighted that NIPN platform demonstrated value in promoting the use of existing data for policy and decision-making. The sustainability plan would guide the implementation for line ministries as they continue this work beyond donor support. However, ensuring its effectiveness will depend on clearly defined roles, mechanisms, and institutional arrangements, especially considering the ongoing government restructuring. Also, the way forward in terms of the necessary resources’ allocation.
Key presentations included:
- NIPN project achievements and its contribution to nutrition governance, presented by MoF.
- Global lessons on sustainability from Uganda, Ethiopia, and Nepal, presented by Capacity for Nutrition (C4N), GIZ.
- The Draft NIPN Sustainability Plan, including its vision, strategic pillars, and four proposed sustainability models, presented by SPRI-LASES.
Discussions emphasized the need for strong government ownership, clear institutional arrangements, and sustainable financing. Participants agreed that NIPN should be government-managed post-2025. The Chair summarized the discussions and shared the way forwards as below:
- Emphasize the role of NIPN in the upcoming NPAN and National Nutrition Strategy, particularly in the development of M&E frameworks, indicators, and progress tracking mechanisms.
- Secure official endorsement of the NIPN Sustainability Plan, including the overall process and proposed next steps.
- Define a clear way forward for institutional arrangements to sustain NIPN beyond donor support, i.e., post-2025.
- Provide guidance on feasible options for resource allocation within the national budget and identify opportunities for funding partnerships.
- Offer guidance on future collaboration with academia, research institutions, and development partners to ensure sustainable research and capacity-building arrangements.
The meeting concluded with appreciation for participants’ engagement and to EU and UNICEF for their continued support
