Lao national winners honored for United Nation's research award
14 December 2006 - As development activities in the Lao PDR gather pace, a growing number of Lao nationals are joining the academic debate of development issues and sharing ideas on how best to move forwards.
“Research and enquiry are the very foundations of economic and social progress,” noted Ms. Sonam Yangchen Rana, UN Resident Coordinator when asked about the Award. She added “the number and quality of the submissions have shown me that there is a large untapped body of knowledge in the Lao PDR, and it is important for the UN to continue encouraging such innovative thinking.”
The research achievements of the three winning Lao applicants will be honored today (Friday, 15 December), at the second annual UN Development Research Awards ceremony in the Main Hall at the Faculty of Economics and Business Management in Vientiane.
The event will begin at 3.00pm with welcoming addresses from Mr. Somchit Khammoungkhoune, NUOL Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, and Ms Sonam Yangchen Rana, UN Resident Coordinator, and the presentation of awards and cheques to the UNDRA 2006 winner and honourable mentions.
After the presentations there will be a question and answer segment with the winners to further explore their research findings.
UNDRA was established to encourage wider participation by Lao nationals in the discussion of development issues and to celebrate their contributions to Juth Pakai – a journal that provides a forum for debating and analyzing development issues in the Lao PDR.
More than 40 entrants were received for this year's award and, for the first time, a woman is among those receiving awards.
This year's overall winner was Mr Malabou Baylatry, who works for the Science, Technology and Environment Agency at the Environmental Research, for his article titled Non-Formal Education for Community Development” in which he presents his research on village livelihoods before and after training at Community Learning Centres and the positive effects enjoyed by participants.
Honourable mentions go to Ms Somphavanh Nakhavong for her article “Impact of the Rural Access Road Network on Poverty Alleviation in the Lao PDR” in which she compares the economic status of villagers before and after a rural access road was built in 1998 and explores its positive and negative impacts. She is reading for a Master's Degree in Regional and Rural Development Planning at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand .
Honourable mentions also go to Mr Phisanexay Phouthonsangsavanh for “Prerequisites for Poverty Reduction” in which he argues there are three main elements which must be taken into account when creating poverty reduction policies: local development potential, human resources and financial assistance.
For more information: please contact Ms. Yasmin Forbes or Ms. Soukphaphone Thongsavanh at the Public Information Office
+ (856 21) 213390-5 ext. 187 or 210, yasmin.forbes@undp.org , s oukphaphone.thongsavanh@undp.org
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