From assessment to action: Lao PDR launches national risk reduction initiative

Vientiane, Lao PDR — On June 17, 2026, Lao PDR solidified its commitment to building disaster resilience, joining 33 countries worldwide to partner with the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) on a National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA). More than an assessment, the program will equip Lao PDR with PDC’s advanced technology ecosystem and analytical capabilities to put assessment data into action to save lives and inform decision-making.

Carried out in partnership with Lao’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW), the initiative was kicked off during a workshop in the capital city of Vientiane, convening representatives from across government ministries, United Nations agencies, and the broader humanitarian sector.

A complex risk landscape

Lao PDR’s risk profile involves seasonal flooding which inundates vulnerable communities along the Mekong River and its tributaries, tropical storms that can trigger deadly landslides across the mountainous north, and millions of hectares of land that remain affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO)—a man-made hazard stemming from a legacy of past conflicts that continues to claim lives and constrain land use today. 

Against this backdrop, the government of Lao PDR is confronting these challenges through the scientific advancements of PDC and shared commitments of partners across sectors to protect the nation’s most vulnerable communities.

“This is a meaningful workshop to initiate an important activity in Lao to help reduce disaster risk and the threat to livelihoods. We are looking forward to this project which will help us build disaster resilience at the central, provincial, and local levels.” 

Kindavong LUANGRATH, Deputy Director General, Social Welfare Department, MoLSW.

Risk awareness at every level

PDC’s approach to the national baseline assessment goes well beyond a broad-stroke national risk inventory; it assesses risk at a more granular level and delivers subnational, locally grounded insights that decision-makers need to effectively plan for and respond to disaster risks. The year-long project engages multiple stakeholders who hold important pieces of the disaster risk reduction puzzle that when brought together, offer a comprehensive, picture of risk and vulnerability across Lao. 

“Every disaster is ultimately local, its true impacts determined not by national averages, but by what exists on the ground in each community. Understanding risk in Lao PDR means understanding the distinct vulnerabilities of each community. The NDPBA program gives leaders at every level the subnational intelligence they need to act on those distinctions—with speed, confidence, and the full weight of verified data behind every decision.”  

—Dr. Erin Hughey, Deputy Executive Director, Pacific Disaster Center.

Turning data into action from day one

The assessment also provides a comprehensive analysis of national disaster management capacities, identifying gaps and limitations and providing tools to help prioritize investments across the nation.

“A defining aspect of this program is that it does not ask countries to wait for a final assessment before seeing results. From the outset, assessment findings are integrated into PDC’s DisasterAWARE technology ecosystem to give nations an almost immediate picture of their real-world disaster risk profiles, the ability to share and exchange information, and the ability to understand vulnerabilities,” said Victoria Leat, Asia Pacific Advisor and Lao NDPBA Country Lead.

Through DisasterAWARE, decision-makers can monitor active hazards, rapidly assess potential impacts to vulnerable populations, critical infrastructure, and community lifelines to determine what actions are needed and which agencies to mobilize. DisasterAWARE grounds these capabilities in local data from day one. 

A coalition for resilience

The timing of Lao PDR’s initiative is especially significant. A robust coalition of United Nations partners—including the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—is already active in the country, and the assessment arrives at a moment when stakeholders are actively seeking to consolidate efforts, align data systems, and work more efficiently amid constrained resources.

The NDPBA’s multi-stakeholder framework is designed precisely for this collective approach, unifying efforts through DisasterAWARE so all organizations, including Lao PDR’s key national stakeholders, can formulate informed decisions and operate from a common picture of risk and a foundation of validated data.  National stakeholders who are integrated into the project include Lao’s Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Lao Statistics Bureau, Lao Red Cross, Lao Police, and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), among others, to pool knowledge and collectively build a more complete picture of national risk.

“As a result of DMRS [the AHA Centre’s Disaster Monitoring and Response System], it takes only two AHA Centre staff to cover all of the disaster monitoring and analysis responsibilities of the ASEAN region. We are pleased to see this same capability being brought to Lao through this project,” said the AHA Centre  during the NDPBA kick-off workshop. The AHA Centre’s DMRS is one of several versions of customized solutions offered by PDC through its DisasterAWARE ecosystem.

Support from other stakeholders was expressed during the workshop, including: 

“We pledge strong support for this program and will do our best to collaborate for this project to be a success.” 

— Lao Statistics Bureau representative

“This project represents the United States’ continued commitment to supporting disaster risk reduction in Lao PDR.” 

— U.S. Embassy Mission Disaster Relief Officer John Drollette

An investment that endures

Beyond the deliverables, the program will produce a five-year plan of action and cultivate a culture of data literacy and institutional confidence in evidence-based decision-making that endures long after the final findings are delivered.  

When a disaster strikes and critical decisions must be made under pressure, this embedded capacity is what makes the difference. Among the 33 countries that have completed PDC’s program, one consistent outcome is evident: when communities have granular, locally verified risk data integrated into real-time decision tools, they act faster, target resources more precisely, and save more lives.