This conference aims to assess the results achieved in implementing cooperation programs between the Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Laos, share experiences and policies on labour, employment, and meritorious individuals of the two countries, and discuss practical solutions to promote more effective cooperation between the two Ministries and the two countries in the fields of labour, employment, and meritorious individuals in the period 2026-2027.
Overview of the 9th Vietnam-Laos Labour Ministers' Conference. Photo: Ministry of Interior.
Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh and Lao Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Phoxay Saynhasone co-chaired the Conference. In his opening remarks, Minister Do Thanh Binh stated that the 9th Vietnam-Lao Labour Ministers' Conference is taking place in the context of increasingly developing comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. The Vietnamese Party and State have a firm and consistent policy in their relations with Laos, considering this a top priority in their foreign policy. This relationship aims to continuously strengthen and develop the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.
"Following the general directives of the leaders of the two Parties and States, cooperation between the former Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam (now the Ministry of Interior) and the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has been emphasized and continuously developed both in breadth and depth," Minister Do Thanh Binh stressed.
According to the Vietnamese Minister of Home Affairs, the cooperation between the two Ministries since 1963, spanning over 60 years, has developed to a new level. The two Ministries consistently hold ministerial conferences every two years.
Numerous concrete achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of cooperation in training. Hundreds of Lao officials have been supported through exchange programs, study and research delegations, as well as short, medium, and long-term training scholarships, contributing to improving management capacity and skill development in Laos. The former Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs provided practical support such as the construction and operation of the Rehabilitation Center for War Invalids and People with Disabilities at Ban Can, Vientiane (2015), which directly benefited the Lao people.
Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh speaks at the conference. Photo: Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has also assisted Vietnam in searching for and collecting the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died in Laos, contributing to alleviating the suffering of the martyrs' families. In addition, cooperation between the two ministries has been strongly promoted, supporting each other on both bilateral and multilateral levels, and jointly contributing to ASEAN frameworks, the Mekong Subregion, and other areas.
The Minister of Home Affairs stated that Vietnam has recently undergone a revolutionary reform, streamlining the organizational structure of the state administration system to be more efficient and effective, with the goal of better serving the people. Along with this streamlining process, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has been merged with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Accordingly, the functions of state management regarding labor, employment, gender equality, and war invalids and martyrs are now under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, alongside the existing state management functions of the home affairs sector. This merger is not only an organizational change but also a strategic step towards building a more comprehensive and stronger state management agency in terms of public administration, personnel, and labor and social policies.
Lao Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Phosay Saynhasone stated that this Vietnam-Lao Labour Ministers' Conference is of paramount importance. Photo: Ministry of Interior.
"We believe that this new mechanism will facilitate the synchronization of staff training activities and the sharing of experience in public service management, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation and mutual support between the Ministry of Interior of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Laos in the future," Minister Do Thanh Binh affirmed.
Lao Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Phosay Saynhasone reviewed Laos' development achievements in recent years and stated that this conference is of paramount importance, being held in the context of the two Parties and Governments focusing on preparing for the Party Congresses and summarizing the implementation of the national socio -economic development plan over the past five years, as well as implementing the contents of the Cooperation Agreement on Labour and Social Welfare, and the Minutes of the 8th Vietnam-Laos Labour and Social Welfare Ministerial Conference in 2023.
"Although the implementation is not yet diverse, the two Ministries have made efforts to coordinate closely, exchange information on labor and social welfare, and support each other at the regional and international levels, contributing to consolidating and further deepening the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, two States, and peoples of Laos and Vietnam," Minister Phosay Saynhasone said.
At the conference, Ministers Do Thanh Binh and Phosay Saynhasone listened to a report on the results of the Senior Officials Meeting between the two Ministries held on November 11th, which provided a practical assessment of the results of cooperation in the 2024-2025 period in the fields of labor and employment, war invalids and martyrs, social insurance development, and especially the digital transformation experience of the Vietnamese Ministry of Interior.
The two ministers jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labor and meritorious individuals between the Ministry of Interior of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos. Photo: Ministry of Interior.
At the conclusion of the Conference, the two Ministers jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labor and war invalids between the Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos. This Memorandum of Understanding was revised based on the Agreement on cooperation in the field of labor and social welfare between the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Home Affairs) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos signed in 2013. The Memorandum of Understanding aims to contribute to strengthening the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. Accordingly, the two sides will promote cooperation in labor and war invalids, focusing on the areas of employment, occupational safety and health, management of migrant labor, labor relations and social insurance; gender equality in labor and employment; war invalids; and the application of information technology and digital transformation in the fields of labor and war invalids.
The 10th Vietnam-Laos Labour Ministers' Conference will be held in Laos in 2027.
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/viet-nam--lao-hop-tac-ve-lao-dong-va-nguoi-co-cong-d783857.html
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