The Lao PDR Competitiveness and Trade Project: Empowering Change through the Grievance Redress Mechanism
Vientiane, Laos – October 4, 2023 – The Lao PDR Competitiveness and Trade (LCT) Project under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has introduced its Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to government agencies, the business community, and the general public through outreach activities and media channels starting in early October 2023.
The LCT project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is a set of arrangements that enable local communities and other affected stakeholders to raise grievances and seek redress when they perceive a negative impact from the project’s activities or staff. The GRM is designed to help people get the services they should receive and can be an effective tool for early identification, assessment, and resolution of complaints about the project.
This, in turn, helps improve the project’s outcomes and benefits both its teams and beneficiaries. The GRM functions as an instrument for problem solving and consensus building while promoting collaboration, transparency, and accountability for all.
People can submit their complaints by:
- Sending an email to: lctgrm@laosaft.org
- Reporting to: https://www.t4dlaos.org/lctgrm/
- Placing the complaints in the comment box in front of the National Implementation Unit (NIU), Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
- Sending a letter to the Implementation Unit (NIU), Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Phonexay Road, PO Box 4107, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
The LCT team has recently introduced its Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to its government stakeholders in Vangvieng, Vientiane Province, in July 2023, and in Luang Prabang Province in September 2023. The team will continue its outreach activities in Oudomxay in February 2024. Participants in the outreach events have included representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Assistance Facility, and the Lao Business Forum.
If you have a complaint about the LCT project, you can make your voice heard through the project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).
The Lao PDR Competitiveness and Trade project (LCT) is implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, with technical and financial support from the World Bank and additional financial contributions from Australia, Ireland, and the United States. The project aims to eliminate barriers to private sector-led growth by improving the regulatory environment, lowering trade costs and raising firm-level competitiveness.
