CIPM Party Cell Congress Reviews National Development Plan

The 1st Congress of the Party Cell of the Committee for Investment Promotion and Management (CIPM) was held on August 31, 2026, under the chairmanship of Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong, Secretary of the CIPM Party Committee. The congress was honoured by the presence of Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the CIPM. Also in attendance were full and alternate members of the Party Central Committee, senior leaders from various ministries, and members of the various party cells under the CIPM. On this occasion, Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong presented the draft political report of the Executive Committee of the CIPM. Subsequently, Mr Vanthana Norintha, Deputy Secretary of the CIPM Party Committee, presented the draft development programme for the investment promotion and management sector. The congress then collectively reviewed and provided feedback on the draft political report and the sector's development programme, evaluating strengths, weaknesses, shortcomings, root causes, and lessons learned in leadership and guidance over recent years. The delegates formally adopted the political report and the 5-year investment sector development programme to serve as a foundational basis for carrying out the tasks of the CIPM Party Cell over the next five years. In his address, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith expressed high praise for the success of the congress and called upon the CIPM Party Committee to focus on political and ideological education for party members and officials. He urged them to heighten their sense of responsibility, decisiveness, and proactiveness in translating strategic plans into practical actions. This is essential to ensure that the National Socio-Economic Development Plan achieves its targets in the coming years, positioning the committee as a robust advisory body to the Government in the macro-management of investment promotion and management. Furthermore, he emphasised the need to improve the formulation of future plans to make them more realistic and scientific, actively driving investment reforms across both the public and private sectors. Specifically, he highlighted the importance of prioritising urgent, high-utility projects that benefit society, yield strong economic efficiency, and deliver rapid, tangible economic results, while strictly curbing inefficient and protracted projects. Party Cell, led by Comrade Phonvanh Outhavong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Investment Promotion and Management Committee, laid a wreath at the Unknown Soldiers Monument (Red Star) and a flower basket at the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum on the morning of August 30, 2026. (KPL/VNA) An inter-sectoral coordination group between Vietnam and Laos conducted an inspection in the northwestern province Dien Bien from August 26 to 28 to review the implementation of the 2007 Hanoi Agreement on facilitating the movement of people, vehicles and goods across the shared border, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on August 29. (KPL/VNA) The Vietnamese Embassy in Laos hosted a banquet in Vientiane on August 28 to mark the 81st anniversary of the success of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945–2026) and the National Day of Vietnam (September 2, 1945–2026). UNICEF’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Sanjay Wijesekera, met senior members of the Government of the Lao PDR in Vientiane this week, calling for sustained investment in children as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in November. On 28 August 2026, the Institute of Foreign Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Embassy of India to the Lao PDR, jointly organised a lecture under the theme: "Lao PDR and India at 70: From Development Partnership to Comprehensive Partnership".