January 2014
Look what we have been busy with at the Embassy this month!
Happy New Year!
The British Embassy Vientiane launched into the New Year with an ambitious agenda as an already established and settled diplomatic mission, full of plans for high-level work in 2014.
LGBT rights success!
Anan Bouapha, UK in Laos on Facebook follower was nominated for an Asia Pink Award 2014 for his role in organising Proud to be Us – Laos’ annual celebration of LGBT rights and diversity in all its forms.
http://www.elementmag.asia/asiapinkawardsnominees/
First memorandum of understanding signed between a UK and a Lao University
The National University of Laos and the University of Wolverhampton’s Centre for International Development and Training (CIDT) signed an agreement on sustainable forestry management, which will lead to Wolverhampton University delivering its practical forestry management training in Laos. This marks the next step in a partnership between the two universities in the forestry field, which has developed over the last few years.
Vientianale On the Road in Huaphan province
The British Embassy is one of the sponsors of the Vientianale On the Road project, which gives young people in remote areas of Laos access to a new form of entertainment in films and exposure to the outside world.
Preparations for our 3rd Visa Service in Vientiane are in full swing. This periodic service will be held on 6-7 Feb 2014, meaning that applicants will not have to travel to Bangkok anymore to obtain a visa to the UK.
British Residence handover
A little bit of history was made in January as the British government took back responsibility for the British residence in Vientiane, which had been leased to the Australian government for almost 30 years. This marks another significant step in the re-establishment of the British diplomatic presence in Laos.
Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in Vientiane, Lou Kalogiannidis and Alex Needham, Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Vientiane confirmed the handover.
Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade
The UK is preparing to host the biggest ever global conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in London in February. The British Embassy is supporting this effort with an NGO and government event, supporting Lao politicians to join the conference and a social media campaign.
Embassy staff weekend picnic
To round off a week loaded with high-level work, we relaxed with a picnic at a fish pond owned by one of our staff members. Freshly caught fish, yum!