The Policy Analysis Unit (PAU) and Data Analysis Unit (DAU) joint quarterly meeting organized on 29 April 2025, under the chairmanship of Mr. Ousavanh Thiengthepvongsa, Director General of Socio-Economic Policy Research Institute (SPRI), Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES) and Head of Policy PAU. Ms. Ana Karina Lopez Aguirre De Enye, Nutrition Section Chief-OIC, UNICEF Co-Chaired the meeting. The NIPN Secretariat, PAU and DAU teams attended the meeting.
Mr. Phoutchinda Phompanya, Deputy Head of Division, SPRI, LASES presented Key achievements of PAU activities for Q1 2025, challenges and lessons learnt as well as priority activities for 2025, particularly for Q2. While Mr. Viengkhone Bouaphachanh, Deputy Director General of Development Research Institute (DRI), Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), DAU presented Key achievements of DAU activities for Q1 2025, challenges and lessons learnt as well as priority activities for Q2 2025.
Both the presentations were followed by discussion and concluded that both PAU and DAU carried out a number of important activities in areas such as capacity building, research, data & evidence generation, and dissemination. In order to maintain and sustain the key NIPN activities, it requires further development of master trainers / core team from the key sectors, and deliberations on how to maintain the NIPN website in terms of infrastructure and technical support.
Mr. Badar Uzaman, Policy Analysis Advisor, UNICEF presented the draft NIPN Sustainability Plan. He emphasized the government has to take concrete short- and medium-term measures around institutionalizing, policy directives, financial transitioning, capacity building and coordination to sustain NIPN. He proposed a few concrete actions to take.
Ms. Slackchay Rasprasith, National Consultant, presented the draft Structure of NIPN Advocacy Plan. She emphasized that the advocacy strategy is very specifically designed for the implementation of NIPN sustainability strategy.
The chair concluded the meeting by thanking all the participants and reiterated that the focus should be the sustainability of NIPN in the rest of the year’s activities.