Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has the potential to unlock green and climate financing using environment statistics. Mechanisms such as green bonds, debt-for-nature swaps and carbon credits require robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms and strict transparency and verification processes, of which environment statistics are the cornerstone. This chapter analyses the state of play of Lao PDR’s environment statistics system for responding to the data demands of climate financing mechanisms. The key findings reveal that supportive legislation prioritises environment statistics, and establishing the Department of Environment and Stability Statistics (DoES) in the Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB) will help to create a robust institutional framework. Overall, environment statistics underpin Lao PDR’s 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and its associated Financing Strategy. Despite progress, persistent information gaps, co‑ordination challenges between data producers and users, and poor data sharing hinder effective climate financing in Lao PDR. This chapter recommends prioritising data demands, implementing harmonised data templates for improved data sharing, and enhancing capacity development across the National Statistical System (NSS) beyond individual ministries.
Multi-dimensional Review of Lao PDR
6. Strengthening environment statistics to support sustainable development
Abstract
Strengthen environment statistics to unlock opportunities in green and climate financing
Environment statistics are crucial for different green and climate financing modalities
Green financing is defined as financial flows from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to sustainable development priorities (UNEP, 2015[1]). As the impacts of climate change become more evident, a subset of green financing dedicated to supporting mitigation and adaptation actions to address climate change, referred to as climate finance (GIH, 2023[2]), is becoming more relevant. Three broad types of green finance instruments have been developed (Box 6.1).
Box 6.1. Green finance instruments
Three types of green finance instruments:
Green bonds are fixed-income debt instruments issued by a government or a corporation where the proceeds are exclusively used to partially or fully finance or refinance new and/or existing eligible green projects (ICMA, 2021[3]).
Debt-for-nature swaps are financial transactions where a creditor or donor government provides debt relief to the debtor government on the condition that savings from the reduced debt are invested in nature conservation projects (IMF, 2022[4]).
Carbon finance refers to funding mechanisms that put a monetary value on carbon emissions, allowing, for example, enterprises wishing to offset their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to buy carbon credits earned by organisations that remove emissions from the atmosphere or prevent them from being emitted (SINAI, 2021[5]). The cornerstone of carbon markets is carbon credits, which rely on high-quality and trusted data in order to measure emissions reductions/removals and to allow third-party verifications of such measurements.
Green finance instruments have proven successful in multiple country contexts:
Green bonds in Indonesia: The Green Bond and Green Sukuk Initiative, launched in 2018, reached USD 1.25 billion (United States dollars) to support Indonesia’s goal of reducing GHG emissions (UNDP, 2018[6]).
Debt-for-nature swaps in Belize and Ecuador: In Belize, a deal with The Nature Conservancy reduced the country’s external debt by 10% of its gross domestic product (GDP) and is helping to protect the longest coral reef in the Western Hemisphere (IMF, 2022[7]). In Ecuador, the Galapagos debt-for-nature swap will save USD 1.1 billion in debt service payments between 2023-2040 (GGGI, 2023[8]).
Carbon finance in Costa Rica: In 2013, Costa Rica created the Domestic Carbon Market, a voluntary mechanism for generating carbon credits (which are to be marketed nationally or internationally) at the local level from projects or activities committed to reducing/removing GHG emissions (World Bank, 2020[9]). In 2022, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) paid Costa Rica USD 16.4 million for reducing 3.28 million tonnes of carbon emissions during 2018 and 2019 through its REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) strategy, positioning Costa Rica as the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to receive payments for reducing carbon emissions (World Bank, 2022[10]).
Green and climate finance can offer opportunities for Lao PDR. As highlighted in the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan Financing Strategy (2023-2025), increasing financial flows for green growth and climate-resilient development is a national priority (Government of Lao PDR, 2023[11]). The Government of Lao PDR can consider using the three types of green finance instruments to increase financial flows in order to support the environment and mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Carbon finance stands out as the most immediate opportunity for Lao PDR. Lao PDR has significant revenue potential from carbon markets that could be based on emissions reductions in several of its largest economic sectors. This includes the carbon capture potential of the restoration or establishment of new forest (reforestation and afforestation) of deforested areas and of standing forests, as well as the emissions reduction potential in sectors such as agriculture and mining. The country has the largest intact forest cover in Indochina and is uniquely positioned to contribute to the global fight against climate change through carbon financing initiatives. Green bonds and debt-for-nature swaps are largely forms of sovereign borrowing, linking their potential to many of the reforms necessary for solving the current public debt crisis in Lao PDR (see Chapter 3). Furthermore, green bonds would require reliable reporting systems on corporate and public environmental, social and governance standards to determine to what extent bonds can be identified as green.
High-quality and trusted data and registries build the core capabilities necessary for mobilising any type of carbon finance. Quality environmental data and statistics are pivotal to ensuring robust monitoring and reporting, which are in turn crucial for transparency and verification by third parties. Carbon finance depends on high-quality and trusted data to measure emissions reductions/removals and allow third-party verifications of such measurements. For debt-for-nature swaps, the regular availability of quality statistics on the extension of protected terrestrial areas and the number of protected flora and fauna species disaggregated by location, management category and type of species would be crucial for monitoring and reporting.
A robust environment statistics system is vital to boost carbon financing in Lao PDR
The functioning of carbon markets relies on carbon credits, which are tradable certificates representing one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq) that has been either prevented from being emitted (e.g. due to renewable energy sources) or removed from the atmosphere (e.g. via forest restoration). High-quality and trustworthy data to measure and monitor the emissions that are either prevented from being emitted or are removed from the atmosphere are crucial for the functioning of carbon markets.
Carbon registries are needed to track carbon credit issuance, transfer and use. A carbon registry is a system or database that tracks and records information related to GHG emissions and carbon offset projects. In 2022, Ghana became the first country to adopt a comprehensive institutional and regulatory framework for issuing carbon credits that countries can trade between one another. One of the critical actions for Ghana to enter the carbon market was establishing a carbon registry (Box 6.2).
Apart from quality environmental data, a common data system and strong data infrastructure are needed to collect, manage and structure openly accessible data throughout the life cycle of carbon credits and to enhance transparency, trust and integrity (CADTrust, 2023[12]). Such a system should measure the amount of emissions – whether emitted, removed or prevented from being emitted – over a set period of time, and should report the findings to an accredited third party which then verifies the results so that these can be certified and an emissions reduction credit can be issued (World Bank, 2022[13]). Carbon registries serve as a platform for companies and organisations to participate in the carbon market, facilitating the transparent exchange of carbon assets. Under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, each country participating in a co‑operative approach should have a registry that tracks and records emissions reductions, including their authorisation, transfers, acquisition and use towards nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
Box 6.2. The Ghana Carbon Registry for the rice industry
As presented in Chapter 3 of this report (Box 3.2), the carbon credits project in Ghana will support several thousand rice farmers to reduce methane emissions by converting to more sustainable forms of agriculture. The farmers covered by the project account for about 80% of Ghana’s rice production and will be able to increase their income through revenues generated from the sale of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs).
Ghana has established the Ghana Carbon Registry in order to track the issuance, transfer and use of ITMOs according to the guidelines in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The Ghana Carbon Market Office creates ITMOs by issuing a unique identifier for each ITMO on the Ghana Carbon Registry. These identifiers make the ITMOs traceable to the mitigation outcomes they represent.
The Ghana Carbon Registry was established to:
keep records on eligible mitigation activities that seek to create authorised mitigation outcomes for international transfer as ITMOs
host the ITMO accounts of mitigation activity developers (the organisations that implement the climate mitigation activities), each of which is required to have an account in order to undertake transactions in the Ghana Carbon Registry
Document and hold information on ITMOs’ authorisation; first and subsequent transfers acquisitions; use towards NDCs; authorisation for use towards other international mitigation purposes; and voluntary cancellation (including for the overall mitigation of global emissions, if applicable). Cancellation refers to the action of permanently retiring the ITMO from the market so that it cannot be reused.
Source: Developed by the authors based on countries’ experiences with sovereign carbon credits presented in Chapter 3 of this report, “Opportunities and challenges in Lao PDR’s sustainable development financing landscape”.
Although carbon registries track carbon credits, the mechanism used in order to prove that an activity has actually avoided or removed harmful GHG emissions so that actions can be converted into credits with a monetary value is the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system (World Bank, 2022[14]). The MRV system refers to the multistep process used in order to measure the amount of GHG emissions reduced by a specific mitigation activity over a set period of time and report these findings to an accredited third party (World Bank, 2022[13]).
An MRV process is the key to unlocking climate finance, but the process is costly and requires data, technical capacity and a strong innovation and technology infrastructure. In terms of data, every emissions reduction programme must determine a baseline against which performance is measured periodically. This requires granular statistics so that accounting methodologies can be used in order to calculate emissions reductions (which vary by sector and programme scale), and also so that an emissions report can be produced and subjected to third-party verification. The measurement and analysis process requires technical expertise and data infrastructure capacity, which many low-income countries lack. They often rely on international enterprises, which can be costly and undermine sustainability and country ownership. Expanding the use of smart sensors, satellites and drones, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain encryption will help to reduce the cost of emissions reduction credit issuances (World Bank, 2022[14]).
Not only are carbon registries and MRV systems necessary for entering the carbon market and upholding a transparent process but they also play an essential role in reporting on the progress of NDCs, particularly under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The NSS needs to build capacity in order to establish robust carbon registries and an MRV system for climate financing
According to the First Biennial Update Report of Lao PDR, the country does not have a harmonised and robust MRV system (Government of Lao PDR, 2020[15]). Lao PDR is working on developing an MRV system for GHG mitigation actions and effects under the leadership of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Simultaneously, other ministries are working on their own sectoral MRVs. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is responsible for the MRV under the National REDD+ strategy framework to protect forests as part of the Paris Agreement, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport leads on the MRV for the aviation sector. These different initiatives need to be harmonised and integrated in order for a national MRV system to be operational.
Based on the data gap analysis conducted by the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21), evidence shows that data on crucial areas for the carbon markets in Lao PDR (such as GHG emissions and forests) mainly depend on sources from global databases. For example, forest data come from the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), which is updated every ten years. This is a challenge when carbon markets require regularly updated and disaggregated data.
Furthermore, although critical sectors for carbon markets (such as forestry, agriculture and mining) have been identified, it is recommended that a specific sector or sectors and specific mitigation activities within them are determined as a starting point. This would facilitate identifying the data required in order to measure the emissions, as well as building the capacity within the NSS in order to scale up for use in other sectors and more complex carbon emissions transactions.
Current statistical production efforts cover only some of the areas where data demand is expected to increase. The DoES in the LSB is currently working to produce statistics based on the United Nations Statistics Division’s (UNSD’s) Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013), prioritising the areas of environmental conditions and quality, environmental resources and their use, and residuals (UNSD, 2024[16]). Figure 6.1 shows a non-exhaustive list of key data areas where data demand is expected to grow if Lao PDR leverages various financing mechanisms, including carbon markets. Although the ongoing statistical production plans cover most of these key areas, areas such as emissions removals and sustainable agriculture do not fall into the current prioritised data production.
Not all data and statistics needed to unlock green and climate financing will necessarily be provided by the LSB. As the development of financing mechanisms advances, collaborations with other line ministries and non-state actors, such as the private sector or civil society and development partners, may be needed in order to fulfil data demands. However, the LSB and the NSS agencies should leverage these collaborations so as to ensure the sustainability of data production, dissemination and use by strengthening the system as a whole and not only one agency or ministry.
Figure 6.1. A non-exhaustive list of key data areas for green and climate financing in Lao PDR
Source: Authors’ elaboration.
Environmental data and statistics underpin Lao PDR’s 9th NSEDP and its Financing Strategy, but significant information gaps persist
Environmental data and statistics are at the core of Lao PDR’s 9th NSEDP, but its monitoring and evaluation framework has limitations
Lao PDR’s 9th NSEDP relies on data for monitoring the progress towards its objectives, particularly in relation to emerging areas around the environment, which have been strengthened in this version of the NSEDP. The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework of the 9th NSEDP outlines 23 indicators (Annex 6.A) related to the environment, representing more than 14% of the whole M&E framework (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[17]). Environmental indicators can be mainly found under the following:
Outcome 4: Environmental protection enhanced, and disaster risks reduced, under the following outputs:
Output 1: Natural resources sustainably used and managed, including forest land, land management, river basins, and air quality (six indicators)
Output 2: Green growth promoted and actions taken towards climate change mitigation, including greenhouse gases, clean energy, and waste disposal (four indicators)
Output 3: Capacities for disaster prevention, management and recovery enhanced, including meteorological system, disaster management, and disaster risk mapping (five indicators).
Additionally, a few indicators related to agriculture and the environment can be found under other outcomes:
Outcome 1: Continuous quality, stable and sustainable economic growth achieved under the following outputs:
Output 1: Quality and sustainable economic growth, including livestock and agricultural production (four indicators)
Outcome 2: Improved quality of human resources to meet development, research capacity, science and technology needs, and to create value-added production and services, under the following output:
Output 1: More inclusive and better-quality healthcare services, including access to clean water (one indicator).
Overall, the 9th NSEDP’s M&E indicators generally align with the policy objectives proposed in the plan. Each indicator in the M&E framework includes the geographic coverage (national, provincial and/or village scale), the frequency of monitoring, the institution responsible and baseline data (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[17]). All of these elements provide comprehensive metadata that allow the NSS to produce user-centric information. However, it is important to note that there are certain limitations to the M&E framework proposed by the 9th NSEDP in the area of environment, which are related to a lack of coverage of certain topics, inadequate indicators, actions without indicators and a lack of granular information.
The main limitation of the 9th NSEDP’s M&E framework is the nature of the indicators included in the framework. One-half of the environment-related indicators in the framework refer to process indicators rather than impact indicators. This means that the monitoring of the 9th NSEDP focuses heavily on government processes and services but has little information on whether these actions affect environmental outcomes. A clear example can be found under Outcome 4, Output 2, where the action states: “Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation to about 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and sell forest carbon credits worth at least USD 95 million”, and its corresponding indicator is “Sales value of forest carbon credits” (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[17]) rather than the emissions level that the action targets. This is a problem across the 9th NSEDP, but it is especially important in the area of the environment, where targeted actions sometimes do not have the expected results.
In addition, there remain a few actions without corresponding indicators, which hinders policy makers’ ability to monitor progress on their implementation. These include the construction of vehicle charging/biofuel stations and the establishment of energy efficiency standards. Identifying impact indicators for these actions will make the monitoring of the 9th NSEDP more meaningful and allow for rectifying actions and investments by the government of Lao PDR. In the same way, the M&E framework should be reviewed in order to ensure that all of the priority areas on the environment are well covered, and that the necessary data are produced in a timely manner. A well-developed M&E framework is an important tool for guiding statistics production and prioritising statistical activities in countries with low capacity and resources to manage a statistical system, such as Lao PDR.
Finally, all of the indicators in the 9th NSEDP have nationally aggregated information, and only two look at provincial- or village-level information. This becomes a problem when policy makers need to decide on actions at subnational levels, which is crucial in the context of environmental action due to the variability of phenomena across a country such as Lao PDR. It is particularly problematic when the indicator refers to the effects of the environment on the population and does not include disaggregation variables such as gender, income or others. For example, “Number of people killed and missing from the disaster per 100 000 population” (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[17]) is defined in the M&E as a national aggregate, but this information should be examined from a local and population-specific perspective.
Lao PDR’s statistical system does not produce all the indicators needed in order to monitor environment targets set out in the 9th NSEDP, the Sustainable Development Goals and the National Green Growth Strategy
The 9th NSEDP, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Lao PDR’s National Green Growth Strategy (NGGS) encompass the country’s most prioritised data demand, representing the key areas for government intervention in the area of environment statistics. It is worth noting that Lao PDR has localised the SDGs, and 64 indicators are related to the environment (Annex 6.B). This comprises roughly 25% of total localised SDG indicators. By analysing how well the data produced in the NSS align with these demands, it is possible to identify how useful the data are and whether the investment in statistics production reflects national concerns.
In Lao PDR, there are four main producers of official statistics in the area of environment, including MONRE, the LSB, the MAF and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Health will also have environmental indicators available to the public in 2025. The NSS currently produces a total of 64 indicators related to the environment (Annex 6.A, Annex 6.B, Annex 6.C). Most of the information is collected through administrative records, with a few indicators produced from surveys, as shown in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1. Main data producers of environmental indicators to monitor the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS
Note: “Total unique indicators” avoids double counting of indicators by counting those that are repeated across plans as only one indicator (there are four indicators present in more than one plan).
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data available in the LAOSIS (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2019[18]), LSB Statistical Yearbook (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2024[19]) State of the Environment Report and MAF Statistical Yearbook (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2024[20]).
Data gaps are identified by comparing the data demanded across the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS (98 unique indicators) and the data produced across the NSS (60 indicators). Lao PDR’s NSS produces 61% of the indicators needed to monitor the targets in the three plans. The current data gaps represent 39% of indicators that are still not produced, as shown in Table 6.2. A complete list of indicators for each plan can be found in Annex 6.A, Annex 6.B and Annex 6.C. Ultimately, the data are unavailable unless they are being produced by the government or externally, even though the government of Lao PDR has previously committed to producing such data annually. The LSB is also working in co‑operation with the government of Luxembourg to address these data gaps and improve the information available in the LAOSIS. These changes were completed in early 2024.
Table 6.2. Existing data gaps for environmental indicators listed in the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS
Note: “Total unique indicators” avoids double counting of indicators by counting those that are repeated across plans as only one indicator (there are four indicators present in more than one plan).
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data available in the LAOSIS (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2019[18]), LSB Statistical Yearbook (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2024[19]), State of the Environment Report and MAF Statistical Yearbook (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2024[20]).
The presence of data gaps varies across plans: 100% of environmental indicators needed in order to monitor the 9th NSEDP are available, whereas 50% of indicators needed for the SDGs and 60% of those needed for the NGGS are available. However, it is worth noting that the complete data coverage of the 9th NSEDP is also related to the nature of the indicators, as discussed in the section above. Environmental indicators in the 9th NSEDP are mainly process indicators related to government services that can be compiled easily through administrative records. The coverage of the M&E frameworks will have to improve in order to cover key areas related to environmental accounting that can unlock climate financing.
Frequency of data collection for the indicators already produced
One of the main concerns of users and producers of statistics is ensuring that timely data are available in order to inform decisions. However, frequent and regular data collection is not always possible, which can lead to problems with the availability of timely data for the comparison of indicators, or even recent data being entirely unavailable.
In Lao PDR, the frequency of data collection for environmental indicators varies across different indicators (Table 6.3).
Table 6.3. Data collection for the available environmental indicators from the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS
Latest data collection
Note: “Total unique indicators” avoids double counting of indicators by counting those that are repeated across plans as only one indicator.
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data available in LAOSIS; (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2019[18]), LSB Statistical Yearbook; (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2024[19]), State of the Environment Report and MAF Statistical Yearbook; (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2024[20]), Website.
Geographic representation of the indicators already produced
The effectiveness of monitoring policies and development targets ultimately depends on how well the data can reveal differences between different geographic areas within a country. The level of representation of the data will determine the level at which the indicators can be tracked beyond national averages, and how well actions can be targeted.
The geographic representativeness of the data varies across the different indicators (Table 6.4).
Table 6.4. Geographic coverage of the available environmental indicators from the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS
Note: “Total unique indicators” avoids double counting of indicators by counting those that are repeated across plans as only one indicator.
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data available in the LAOSIS (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2019[18]), LSB Statistical Yearbook; (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2024[19]), State of the Environment Report and MAF Statistical Yearbook.
From the analysis of the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS, it is clear that Lao PDR’s NSS does produce some core information on the environment, but there are gaps in the data that could become obstacles to achieving the goals outlined across those plans. Prioritising the production of these indicators will make monitoring the targets possible and will promote the use of statistics for policy making.
Data production across Lao PDR’s institutions needs to be aligned with national and international M&E frameworks in order to be resource-efficient and user-centric
Lao PDR’s Strategy for the Sustainable Development of the National Statistical System (SDNSS) aims to strengthen the NSS in an effort to provide high-quality, credible and timely official statistics to support the country’s development goals and enable it to meet international standards and commitments. The SDNSS has identified the production of 68 environment and natural resource indicators between 2016 and 2025 as a priority for the NSS, but these are not detailed in the strategy document (Government of Lao PDR, 2017[21]). The alignment between these 68 indicators and the data required in order to monitor the 9th NSEDP, the SDGs and the NGGS needs to be carefully assessed, particularly as a total of 98 unique indicators are required for monitoring the three plans (see Table 6.2). In case there is a need to prioritise data production – due to issues with technical or financial resources, for example – such an assessment should be carried out in consultation with the Department of Planning and Cooperation (DoP) and relevant policy makers.
Beyond the SDNSS, the DoES in the LSB is currently working to produce statistics based on the UNSD’s FDES 2013. The FDES 2013 is a statistical framework that offers an organised structure (the Basic Set of Environment Statistics) to guide the collection and compilation of environment statistics (UNSD, 2013[22]). The Basic Set contains a list of 458 individual statistics and the data needed in order to produce them. This includes, for example, guidance on the unit of measurement that can be used for a given statistical variable, the possible levels of disaggregation and sources for further methodological guidance (UNSD, 2018[23]).
The LSB plans to produce statistics listed in FDES 2013 components 1‑3 before 2029. These components are:
Component 1 – Environmental conditions and quality: This includes statistics on the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of the environment and their changes over time.
Component 2 – Environmental resources and their use: This includes statistics on natural resources, such as subsoil resources (minerals and energy), soil resources, biological and water resources, and land resources. The resources monitored may be naturally renewable (e.g. fish, timber or water) or non-renewable (e.g. minerals). These statistics are closely related to the assets and physical flow accounts (flows from the economy to the environment) of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) Central Framework.
Component 3 – Residuals: This includes statistics on the amount and characteristics of residuals generated by human production and consumption processes, their management, and their final release into the environment. These statistics are closely related to the physical flow accounts of the SEEA Central Framework.
The FDES 2013 is an effective tool for producing statistics once there is clarity on the kind of statistics that are required in accordance with the indicators demanded by the M&E frameworks of national and international plans and commitments. In order to ensure that the data production is fit for purpose for policy making, environmental data need to be analysed and presented in a way that is congruent with monitoring practices. This is also the case for environmental accounts that have been identified as priorities for production by the DoES (material flow accounts and physical energy flow accounts) (Chanthalavong and Leost, 2023[24]). The system of environmental accounts planned should be carefully assessed so as to ensure its alignment with the data needed for monitoring national priorities and international commitments. The first step in improving the availability and use of relevant environmental data in Lao PDR should be for the DoP and policy makers in relevant ministries to conduct a review of the M&E frameworks that underpin national plans. The frameworks need to improve on how environmental concerns are addressed and specify the data needed for the different types of monitoring, including monitoring related to climate financing. The current M&E frameworks are over-reliant on process indicators and their coverage of environmental concerns is too narrow; these characteristics are not conducive to producing more and better indicators for monitoring core environmental phenomena, as discussed below.
Lao PDR can adopt good practices for the production of environment statistics from regional and global examples
Environmental reporting through Voluntary National Reviews in the Asia-Pacific region
Strengthening the environmental dimension of the SDGs remains a challenge for countries in Asia and the Pacific. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report Strengthening the environmental dimension of the voluntary national reviews in Asia-Pacific: lessons learned, and ways forward looks at the Voluntary National Review (VNR) structure and preparation, issues of governance (institutions and metagovernance), and common approaches for SDG implementation in the Asia-Pacific region (UNEP, 2022[25]). The review of 50 VNRs (spanning different countries and years) found that, on average, only 29% of the 92 environment-related indicators were reported in the VNRs. In the case of Lao PDR’s reporting, the 2018 VNR included 23% of the environment-related indicators, which increased to 38% in the 2021 VNR (UNEP, 2022[25]). Since Lao PDR is a landlocked country, indicators related to the oean and sea are not relevant. Lao PDR should aim to produce the 76 indicators applicable to the country (Annex 6.F). This is aligned with Table 6.2 t that showed that despite efforts by the LSB and the line ministries, there are still data gaps in the area of the environment. These crucial areas are also part of environment accounts and MRV systems. Improving SDG monitoring will also help to improve the NSS as a whole and the capacity to monitor different climate financing initiatives.
Although large data gaps remain within the Lao PDR M&E framework, there are some good examples of countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have tried to improve SDG reporting. For example, Japan has expended great effort in adopting global standards for environmental indicators, and Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea have closed significant data gaps. In its 2017 VNR, Bangladesh reported on 29% of the environment-related indicators, but reached 100% in its 2020 VNR. Papua New Guinea has reported on 75% of the environment-related indicators (UNEP, 2022[25]).
In addition to adopting global standards and definitions, countries are also strengthening evidence-based SDG reporting by developing or improving the statistical annexes of the VNRs. These annexes include the compilation of indicators used for national monitoring, with clear definitions (including specified units) and details on corresponding SDG targets and global SDG indicators, as well as state and time series data on the indicator in question (UNEP, 2022[25]). As Lao PDR is working on its third VNR, it can take these good practices into account moving forward in order to strengthen its M&E framework while simultaneously producing the necessary environmental data. Lao PDR should continue to align its national development plans with the SDGs, as this practice helps create more focused outcomes and outputs, resulting in strengthened M&E frameworks.
List of environmental indicators by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Beyond the Asia-Pacific region, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) provides a set of regional environmental indicators that are standardised and designed to address key policy questions and to serve as a basis for sound and informed policy making (UNECE, 2014[26]). The thematic areas covered include air pollution and ozone depletion, climate change, water, biodiversity, land and soil, agriculture, energy, transport, waste, and environmental financing; there are a total of 49 indicators spread across the thematic areas (Table 6.5) A full table of indicators and their availability in the LAOSISan be found in Annex 6.E.
Table 6.5. UNECE standard environmental indicators produced in Lao PDR
Note: The thematic area on environmental financing has not yet been published.
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data available in the LAOSIS (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2019[18]), LSB Statistical Yearbook; (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2024[19]), State of the Environment Report and MAF Statistical Yearbook; (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2024[20]), Website; and (UNECE, 2014[26]), Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators.
Based on the review, the Lao PDR NSS has produced 16 of the 49 indicators identified by the UNECE as the core list of standardised environmental information, which is essentially one-third of the indicators needed. The thematic areas of water, climate change and biodiversity contain 25 indicators, of which Lao PDR covers 11 indicators. None of the indicators in the areas of land and soil, agriculture, and transport are available.
Policies like the9th NSEDP, the NGGS and other sectoral strategies should include areas that are less developed in the NSS in order to ensure their production by ministries and agencies. This would also help to improve the M&E framework of the national plans that are heavily reliant on process activity-based indicators instead of relying on target- or impact-based monitoring. Improved M&E frameworks for policies and plans should include clear metadata on what indicators should be produced, how they should be measured and by which responsible institution. In order to support the development of national metadata for Lao PDR’s M&E indicators, the DoP, in collaboration with relevant ministries, could use tools from other countries or regions and adapt them to Lao PDR’s needs and priorities. For example, the UNECE has developed guidelines to assist countries in their efforts to monitor and assess the status of, and trends in, their natural environment, including the harmonisation of approaches and preparing indicator-based environmental assessments (UNECE, 2014[26]).
Since 2017, the enabling environment needed in order to ensure high-quality environment statistics in Lao PDR has improved significantly
A favourable legislative framework for environment statistics
Lao PDR’s Statistics Law was amended in 2017, and environment statistics are included in the key areas of statistical production for the NSS. The Statistics Law defines the rules, regulations and measures regarding the organisation, management and inspection of statistical activities in the Lao PDR NSS (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]). It governs the production, management, dissemination and use of statistics; refers to the fundamental principles of statistical works; and states the rights and duties of institutions within the NSS, including the LSB, which is mandated to produce and disseminate high-quality official statistics and co‑ordinate the NSS.
This process laid the foundations for producing, disseminating and enabling the use of environment statistics with the same level of importance and priority as those from other fields, such as social and economic statistics. Although environment statistics were already recognised in Statistics Law 2010 (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2010[28]), the 2017 amendment places a stronger emphasis on environment statistics as a priority for data production and covers a broader scope of sectors within this field.
Within its definitions, the Statistics Law 2010 recognises and defines environment and natural resources statistics as the “statistics on the development conditions of environment and natural resources, including geography, geology, land, minerals, meteorology, hydrology, disasters, pollutants, waste, chemicals and treatment, environmental balance, human and development and other statistics related to the environment and natural resources (…)” (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]). Recognising and defining environment statistics in the Statistics Law 2017 has three main advantages. First, it recognises the need to invest and strengthen the capacity and funding for environment statistics in the country. Second, it helps the LSB and other actors in the NSS to identify the critical sectors and stakeholders relevant to environment statistics, thus facilitating co‑ordination. Third, it provides clear guidance on the mandates of the LSB and other data actors in the production, management, sharing, dissemination and use of environment statistics. However, despite its strong legal foundations, implementation of the law is happening at a slower pace. For example, the LSB only created the DoE in 2022.
Environmental laws and decrees place environmental data at the centre of the NSS
Laws and decrees supporting environmental protection provide the legal and regulatory systems necessary to protect the environment. In doing so, they promote monitoring the state of the environment in order to measure changes and identify trends and needs for policy action. The 2012 Environmental Protection Law (Revised Version) defines principles, regulations and measures related to environmental management and places emphasis on monitoring the state of the environment. The law highlights the importance of data collection and analysis activities (Government of Lao PDR, 2012[29]). Similarly, the Decree on Climate Change (2019) determines the principles, regulations and measures (including monitoring) to prevent, protect and decrease the potential impacts of climate change (Government of Lao PDR, 2019[30]).
In addition to the above-mentioned legislation, there are also laws and decrees for specific sectors that are critical to the environment. Some examples include the Water and Water Resources Law (1996) (which mandates data collection) (Government of Lao PDR, 1996[31]) and the Law on Forestry (Revised) (2019) (which has a dedicated article on forest data and information) (Government of Lao PDR, 2019[32]), as well as the Protected Area Decree (2023) for better management and governance of biodiversity-rich zones (WCS, 2023[33]), among others. Highlighting monitoring as one of the critical aspects in the laws and decrees related to the environment brings relevance to data and statistics and can stimulate the demand for and production of more and better environment statistics.
The creation of the DoES in the LSB provides a clear responsible institution for environment statistics
The LSB leads the production and co‑ordination of environment statistics in Lao PDR. The amended 2017 Statistics Law mandates the LSB with the co‑ordination of the NSS1 and has established the LSB as an independent institution (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]) as cited in (UNESCAP, 2020[34]). As part of its duties, the LSB must co‑ordinate with line ministries, equivalent organisations, local authorities and key stakeholders involved in statistical activities in order to respond to Lao PDR’s information demands (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]). Increasing the production of environment statistics is among the priorities and main objectives stated in the SDNSS data strategy in order to meet domestic and international data demands (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[35]).
As a reflection of policy recognition across government sectors of the need to improve the production of environment statistics, in 2022 the LSB, in conjunction with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), established the DoES. The 2017 Statistics Law guides the DoES’s mandate. The DoES has four primary responsibilities with regard to environment statistics: (i) co‑ordinate environment statistics-related work within the NSS; (ii) act as the main data producer in response to national and international demands; (iii) provide technical support guided by internationally agreed standards within the LSB and at the NSS level; and (iv) advocate for and disseminate environment statistics (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]; Lao Statistics Bureau, 2023[36]).
The DoES has three divisions that co‑ordinate different areas of work related to environment statistics: (i) Environment Statistics that works with the production of natural resources and socio-economic statistics related to the environment; (ii) Stability Statistics covering food security, disasters, risks and livelihoods and SDGs-related work; and (iii) Statistics and Methodologies in charge of the design, planning, maintenance and dissemination of environment statistics.
Capacity to produce environmental indicators across Lao PDR’s NSS remains low, despite increased attention on environmental data
Technical capacity and co‑ordination among the main producers of environment statistics need to be strengthened, including the LSB’s role as co‑ordinator of the system
Technical capacity to produce environment statistics is lacking across the NSS, with very few statisticians in the relevant ministries and a recently appointed team dedicated to environment statistics at the LSB. There is a need to improve knowledge across sectors and to train environmental statisticians in the key NSS agencies, including the LSB, MONRE, the MAF and the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM). An ongoing collaboration with the Embassy of Luxembourg has been providing support in this area since 2017. The National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies in Luxembourg has been providing support to the LSB in the area of environment statistics, and it provides training for LSB staff in emerging areas such as environmental accounts. The provision of additional support by STATEC for capacity building will increase the production of statistics, improve data quality, and improve data management practices and systems in ministries.
Ensuring effective co‑ordination within the NSS in its vertical (between national and subnational levels) and horizontal (across the various line ministries) lines is one of the biggest challenges facing the LSB and the entire NSS (UNESCAP, 2020[34]), including the recently established DoES. The lack of co‑ordination mechanisms can lead to differences and conflicting views on priorities between the LSB and other ministries and agencies (UNESCAP, 2020[34])which can hamper the production of environment statistics. Beyond the issue of producing environment statistics, co‑ordination is crucial for accessing climate financing. As highlighted in Chapter 3 of this report, an uncoordinated approach could endanger the credibility and success of climate financing initiatives such as carbon credits.
Although overall co‑ordination has gradually improved through mechanisms for data collection and dissemination, and through annual meetings (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[35]), it remains one of the LSB’s core priorities. The SDNSS has one goal dedicated to establishing and improving an efficient and effective co‑ordination mechanism, and enhancing co‑operation across the NSS in order to avoid duplication and waste of resources (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[35]). However, there are no activities in the SDNSS on co‑ordination that specifically relate to environment statistics, whereas there are activities on co-ordination for some other sectors, such as health and education (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[35]).
Since the DoES commenced operations, it has collaborated closely with MONRE, the MAF and the MEM to produce data on the areas of natural resources, energy, food, land, water resources and climate change (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2023[36]). The DoES is trying to improve co‑ordination through discussions with these key ministries on which data are collected through administrative records, and by creating standard templates for administrative data reporting. As part of these efforts, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on co‑ordination has been signed between the LSB and MONRE (Chanthalavong and Leost, 2023[24]). However, there is a need to formally establish co‑ordination mechanisms for environment statistics activities with other partners, as the templates are not being widely used across ministries due to statistical capacity challenges. A more systematic approach to data production and data sharing is needed in order to ensure efficient collaborations, particularly as data sharing between ministries and the LSB and among ministries is not standardised. The creation of the Working Group on Environment Statistics (WGES) is helping this situation, but the sustainability and relevance of the group need to be ensured (Chanthalavong and Leost, 2023[24]).
In some cases, co‑ordination is also hampered by the lack of clarity within institutional mandadets on responsibilities regarding data. The DoES has the mandate to co‑ordinate environment statistics activities, but it has not yet fully implemented co‑ordination mechanisms such as working groups. With regard to other ministries, while MONRE’s mandate clearly states that data and information on natural resources and the environment (including natural disasters and climate) must be provided (Government of Lao PDR, 2003[37]), the Decree on Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Organizational Structure and Operations (2021) only refers to expanding the statistical database system and information on agriculture, forestry and rural development.
Building a solid co‑ordination architecture with clear focal points, areas of work and tasks can help the LSB, the DoES and the NSS to improve data collection, harmonisation, quality and dissemination. A shared space for co‑ordination activities would also be helpful in order to identify demands for environmental data and indicators, and would avoid duplication of efforts when working across different ministries. Such an initiative would be compatible with the activities of the WGES, as one of its aims of the group is to co‑ordinate the data actors to support the monitoring of national and international development plans (Chanthalavong and Leost, 2023[24]).
Quality assurance processes are lacking, hampered by low levels of data sharing
According to the Statistics Law 2017, as the lead agency for the statistical system in Lao PDR, the LSB also has a mandate and the right to oversee quality assurance processes in relation to of statistics production in the country and to collect data from other agencies for certification. Below is a list of articles that reflect LSB’s mandate:
Article 23. Statistics Centre of line ministries and agencies must report to Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB) […]
Article 26. Statistics Centre of line ministries, […] announce and disseminate official statistics […] through the technical certification and endorsement from Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB);
Article 32. [LSB’s responsibilities] Monitor, examine and evaluate the use of sound statistical methodologies; […]
Article 37. [Ministries’ responsibilities] Direct, manage and implement the statistics activities in their sectors, provide data to Lao Statistics Bureau and other users (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]).
In the implementation of the Statistics Law, however, the role of the LSB as the responsible institution for quality processes is not evident in the area of environment statistics. Despite ongoing efforts to collaborate and standardise data collection within ministries, there are challenges around overseeing data quality assurance of administrative records (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2023[36]), which represent the main source of environment statistics in Lao PDR.
Currently, the LSB plays a secondary role in overseeing quality assurance, as it reviews final products, using outliers to identify quality issues. In the case of the statistical yearbooks across line ministries, the statistics unit in each ministry calculates and compiles the reports themselves, without the involvement of the LSB, despite the fact that some of these units have low statistics production capacity. With regard to the statistical yearbook produced by the LSB, the ministries send out already processed indicators without sharing complete metadata and raw data which would enable the LSB to carry out a more in-depth quality assurance process. This is aligned to the overall state of the quality assurance process in the NSS, where the Lao Official Statistics Quality Assurance Framework (LOSQAF) is currently only used for the LSB process and products. The Lao Official Statistics Quality Assurance Framework (LOSQAF) document states that the use of the quality assurance process across the statistical system will be used at a later stage (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2020[38]). The creation and implementation of quality standards across the NSS is also one of the areas identified for improvement in the SDNSS (Government of Lao PDR, 2020[39]) and was highlighted as a particular challenge in the area of environment statistics by the LSB (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2020[38]).
In order to provide a solution to data sharing problems, the LSB is currently working with MONRE, the MAF and the MEM to standardise reporting templates as part of the Master Plan for the Development of Environment Statistics (MPDES). This initiative will help reduce the number of quality assurance problems, including the need to standardise methodologies and definitions, but a more systematic approach to quality assurance and data sharing is needed in order to ensure that environment-related data disseminated by ministries and the LSB are of high quality, are harmonised across data producers and are fit for purpose for policy making. Quality assurance processes are particularly important, as an assessment of environment data in the country by the Lao PDR-Luxembourg Cooperation Project in Statistics (LLPS) identified that most data in this area “were not collected and therefore not fit for statistical purpose with no centralized repository, no time series, lack of appropriate formats, uncertain frequency, etc.” (Chanthalavong and Leost, 2023, p. 112[24]).
Another limitation of the data that are currently used and disseminated for environment statistics, which affects the quality assurance process, is the lack of metadata for administrative records. Given the ministries’ responsibilities to produce their own statistics yearbooks, there is limited availability of documentation around data collection, management and analysis in the reports, portals and websites of the main line ministries producing indicators on environment statistics. This hinders the producers’ and users’ ability to assess the data presented in the different statistical products and ensure that the interpretation of the data is aligned to the definitions used in the administrative records.
So as to ensure the return on investment in statistical production, data dissemination should be improved in order to promote data use
In this new era where there is demand for large volumes of available and demand, National Statistics Offices need new and diversified ways to disseminate statistical information in order to promote better data use (UNSD, 2022[40]). The Lao PDR NSS offers several dissemination channels and products that provide access to 98 environmental indicators (see Table 6.2). The channels used for data dissemination include the LAOSIS, the VNR, the statistical yearbooks (the LSB, Agricultural report), the Social indicator survey report and the State of environment report. Each ministry has its own website, where data are mainly disseminated through reports. Yet, datasets are held by the ministries’ statistical units and are not fully shared with the public. Better collaboration between ministries and the LSB, in addition to improving dissemination channels, is necessary in order to ensure the optimum promotion of data use. In addition, in order to achieve return on investment, funding allocations must unlock resources not only for data producers but also for data users.
The LAOSIS is a centralised statistical database operated by the LSB where the 18 environmental indicators in the 9th NSEDP and the SDGs can be found (Annex 6.A and Annex 6.B). Currently, the LAOSIS provides statistics divided into 27 categories, 4 of which (energy and mines, agriculture, natural resources and environment, and geography) have environmental indicators. The LAOSIS provides user-friendly tools such as selection criteria for data, downloadable data in Microsoft Excel format, a data search function, charts and figures, and analysis of data functions. The data portal also shows that there is co‑ordination between ministries, as indicators from other ministries are disseminated in the LAOSIS (Table 6.6). However, there are no specific data sources listed for the indicators (i.e. the survey, census or administrative records that collected the data are not specified). Furthermore, the LAOSIS does not provide metadata for the available indicators. The definitions, classifications and methodologies used to produce the indicators are also not explained in the LAOSIS. The LAOSIS platform could also benefit from having a feature that enables the sharing of data with social media platforms. Social media is essential for increasing the use and dissemination of data among the general public, as well as ensuring the impact of data (Lacoma, 2021[41]). Ultimately, the LAOSIS should aim to be a data portal designed to attract more and different types of users in order to create wider use and recognition of official statistics and greater public trust in them (PARIS21 and ODW, 2021[42]).
Table 6.6. Environmental data dissemination products
The VNR was last published in 2021 and was developed based on key recommendations from the first VNR (2018) and the conclusion of the 8th NSEDP (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[43]). The report remains a vital SDG dissemination product for Lao PDR as it provides access to 237 localised Lao PDR national SDG indicators, 64 of which are environmental indicators. The statistical annex in the VNR is categorised by SDGs and includes information such as baseline year, data source, frequency and latest year of data collection for the indicators. However, the information in the VNR only covers the period 2016‑19. The third VNR is currently in preparation and will be released in June 2024 to incorporate the latest data. Data disaggregation and localisation of the SDGs is necessary in order to ensure optimal monitoring of the SDG targets. The statistical annex of the VNR should also be made available in Microsoft Excel format so as to ensure improved accessibility.
In parallel with the VNR, the Laos Open SDG Data Platform is a national statistical platform that is operated by the LSB. As a gateway for Lao PDR’s official statistics, it provides information on the monitoring and evaluation of progress in implementing the SDGs (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2021[44]). However, the platform only includes 3 of the 32 available localised SDG environmental indicators. The last update to the data was made in June 2021, thus emphasising the need to ensure that the updating of data on the platform is carried out more frequently (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2021[44]). The agriculture yearbook, the social indicator survey (LSIS) report, the LSB statistical yearbook and the state of environment report (Table 6.6) are important dissemination products that can be accessed on the LSB website under the statistics production section. The combination of products listed above are the dissemination channels for 28 of the total 60 available environmental indicators identified (Government of Lao PDR, 2021[43]) The dissemination reports are as follows and further described in Table 6.7:
The Agriculture Statistics Yearbook is published every year and provides data disaggregation at the provincial level. In addition to data, it provides an analysis of the data trends using figures and graphs. The most vital metadata components, including the methodologies used in the calculation of the indicators, are not presented in the yearbook. In addition, the data can only be found in the yearbook and cannot be downloaded in Microsoft Excel format. Finally, no microdata are provided.
The Lao Social Indicator Survey (LSIS) report is produced every five years and focuses on social indicators. Some data disaggregation is provided at both the provincial and regional level, but generally, data disaggregation is provided at the national level. The report provides information on the survey methodology and other important metadata characteristics, such as data sources. There is no analysis of data trends, and the data can only be found in the report and cannot be downloaded in Microsoft Excel format. Finally, no microdata are provided.
Each year, the LSB publishes a Statistical Yearbook with the most up-to-date official statistics across provincial and national levels. The yearbook provides limited analysis of data trends in the form of charts and graphs. However, it does not provide any metadata except for a data source. There is no reference to the methodology used in the calculation of the indicators. The data can only be found in the yearbook and cannot be downloaded in Microsoft Excel format. Finally, no microdata are provided.
Table 6.7. Characteristics of environmental data reports available in Lao PDR
Recommendations to improve environment statistics in Lao PDR in order to unlock opportunities for climate financing
Short-term recommendations
Define an initial core set of environmental data needed to activate climate financing aligned to the climate financing mechanisms that will be implemented. A useful guideline for prioritising data production might be to consider the subsectors where carbon finance has the most potential. For example, in the case of Ghana, carbon finance was first introduced in the area of sustainable agriculture, specifically for the rice industry. This type of information will indicate what data and statistics decision makers might require.
Map the key sectors and actors – including non-government actors – related to the immediate climate financing mechanisms that will be implemented. This could facilitate the identification of key producers and users of environment statistics and the role they can play in improving the production, dissemination and use of environment statistics. The leading agency on climate financing should co‑operate in identifying data demands so that the LSB, MONRE, the MEM and other agencies can identify the data sources available or required and start to harmonise information across the system.
Enhance the sharing and harmonisation of environment statistics across the NSS. A one-stop shop for environment statistics is crucial for building certification and verification systems to access climate financing. The current data quality assurance and data harmonisation practices are insufficient to create an interconnected system across institutions that provides the same figures for all indicators. A first start step towards achieving that goal would be to use harmonised data templates for data sharing, particularly with the LSB, and committing to sharing raw data for quality assurance purposes. Better data sharing and harmonisation on methodologies, data collection processes and definitions of variables are prerequisites for creating the digital data systems needed for climate financing, such as carbon registries.
Use existing co‑ordination mechanisms to liaise with policy makers and data users in general. Existing mechanisms can help facilitate dialogue and consultations with selected data users, particularly those in the most strategic climate financing sectors, as it may provide information about their policy planning and existing monitoring frameworks. Such dialogue and consultations can also provide an opportunity to evaluate data demands and determine whether current data production is aligned.
Use the momentum of climate finance opportunities to advocate for production and use of statistics and to mobilise funding for data infrastructure, core systems and capacity development. A high demand for environment statistics provides an excellent opportunity to use these statistics as the key to unlocking climate financing and mobilising resources (both internal and external) to improve the NSS in order to better serve the emerging needs of data users, particularly those of policy makers.
Medium-term recommendations
Develop statistical capacity across the NSS for climate financing. Data systems needed for climate financing, such as carbon registries and MRV systems, require data, technical capacity, and a solid foundation for innovation and technology in all relevant institutions where climate financing initiatives will be established. Although developing the capacities of MONRE and the LSB is crucial for the production of environment statistics, the data demands derived from the systems to support climate finance require improving the NSS in order to develop a solid data infrastructure, prevent duplication of efforts and make more efficient use of resources.
Identify opportunities for collaboration between Government and non-government actors. Non-state actors (such as the private sector, civil society or academic institutions) can often be strategic partners in mobilising resources, advocating for using environmental data, or leveraging innovative data sources and techniques in order to make current data collection processes more efficient through the use of technology. Collaborations with these actors could help the NSS explore the use of smart sensors, satellites, drones and artificial intelligence for the development and improved functioning of carbon registries and MRV systems.
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Annex 6.A. 9th NSEDP M&E framework: Environmental indicators and data availability
Annex 6.B. SDGs: Environmental indicators from VNR report and data availability
Annex 6.C. NGGS M&E framework environmental indicators and data availability
* Note: Please note that Lao PDR is actively working to increase the availability of data. These improvements will be reflected in 2024.
Annex 6.D. Environment statistics available on the LAOSIS platform
Annex 6.E. UNECE standard environmental indicators and their availability in Lao PDR
Annex 6.F. UNEP environment-related SDG indicators applicable to Lao PDR
Note
← 1. The NSS as defined by the Statistics Law refers to the compilation of data at central and local levels, from official statistics, action plans, infrastructure and the national statistics organisation (Lao Statistics Bureau, 2017[27]).