The Government of Lao PDR is strongly committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation and achievement of the SDGs. The SDGs present an important opportunity for addressing inequalities and committing to the reduction of equity gaps at local level by investing more children. As part of achieving the SDGs for children, the government of Lao PDR has undertaken

SPRI is continuing its support of UNICEF Lao PDR in evidence generation deliver results for children, following its output of two prior in-depth studies on multidimensional child wellbeing in Lao PDR based on 2014 and 2017 data. With this research activity, SPRI aims to support efforts to translate evidence into policy and action, by supporting UNICEF Lao PDR in providing technical expertise and generating evidence generation in efforts of strengthening the sub-national planning, monitoring and coordination for achieving results for children. Primarily, SPRI is supporting UNICEF Lao PDR in strengthening the provincial planning and monitoring of key social sectors in delivering better results for children at sub-national level through the coordination mechanism, ensuring the sustainability and relevance to the country context, capacity enhancement of sub-national authorities for sustainable development, and integrated planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting mechanism for cost effectiveness and efficiency of programme implementation.

These supporting activities include:

• Support provincial planning for delivering key results for children
• Support evidence generation, analysis and database for monitoring results for children
• Promote results-based management including public finance for children
• Support programme coordination, focusing on the existing mechanism at provincial level to effectively plan, implement and monitor key social sectors.