United Nations (UN)

Joined: 14th of December in 1955

Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN)

Joined: 23rd of July 1997

The Lao PDR applied for ASEAN membership in March 1996 and became a full member on 23 July 1997.
This officially marked its shift from political isolation to cooperative relations with ASEAN.

The government's opening of Lao to private enterprises and foreign investors have steadily led to
development and drove Lao's more than 7% growth from 2008 to 2012. It became a member of ASEAN
in 1997 and was admitted to the WTO in 2012.

With Myanmar

World Trade Organization (WTO)

Become official member: 2nd February 2013

Mekong River Commission (MRC)

Established on 5 April 1995

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established on 5 April 1995 by the Agreement on the
Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin. The MRC member countries
are Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam. MRC maintains regular
dialogue with the People’s Republic of China and Myanmar which are the two upper states of the
Mekong River Basin. Areas of cooperation include sustainable development, utilization, management
and conservation of the water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin, such as navigation,
flood control, fisheries, agriculture, hydropower and environmental protection.

First MRC Summit: Hua Hin Declaration

Mekong River Commission 5 Apr 2010

Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)

Joined as associate on 1972 and became full member on 1991

The International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF/ Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie)

is an international institution established in 1970 and aimed at strengthening and promoting the French
language and universal values. The organisation has 54 full members, 7 associate and 27 observer states.

Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA)

Current Issues

Enforced Disappearances

The forced disappearance of prominent civil society leader Sombath Somphone, who was detained at a
police checkpoint in Vientiane and has not been heard from since, is emblematic of the Lao
government’s lack of accountability for rights abuses.

Sombath Somphone was last seen by his wife, Ng Shui Meng, on the evening of December 15, 2012 as
they were driving separately from his office to their home. She lost sight of his vehicle about 6 p.m. near
the police post on Thadeau Road in Vientiane. Shui Meng obtained close-circuit television (CCTV) from
the police which shows that Sombath’s jeep was stopped by the police at the Thadeau police post. The
police took Sombath into the police post. Shortly thereafter, Sombath re-emerged from the police post,
was escorted to a different vehicle and driven away.

Government officials have repeatedly denied that the government took Sombath into custody yet have
failed to conduct a serious investigation into his enforced disappearance or provide any other credible
information about current whereabouts.

Suppression of Freedom of Speech, Association, and Assembly

Laos has failed to protect the right to freedom of speech, press, and assembly. The Lao government
strictly controls all TV, radio and printed publications in the country.

The constitution in article 23 sets out that all “mass media activities” that are contrary to “national
interests” or “traditional culture and dignity” are prohibited. Article 44 of the constitution establishes
that Lao citizens have the right to freedom of speech, press, assembly, association and demonstration
that are “not contrary to the laws”— yet the penal code contains broad limitations that prohibit
“slandering the state, distorting party or state policies, inciting disorder, or propagating information or
opinions that weaken the state.”
In this way, the laws grant officials the authority to effectively limit basic rights and freedoms for anyone
they deem critical of the government and authorities. Article 59 of the penal code provides prison
sentences ranging from one to five years for anti-government propaganda, and up to 15 years for
journalistswho fail to file “constructive reports” or who seek to “obstruct” the work of the government.
[1] Government officials review all privately owned periodicals after publication and can impose fines for
those they deem to violate the law.

Mounting debt

But the country’s real problem is its mounting debt crisis. In 2021, Laos’ total public debt was 88 percent
of GDP, and foreign debt was $10.4 billion. The World Bank predicted that debt would surpass 100
percent of GDP in 2022.