STRUCTURED LEARNING VISIT IN THAILAND ON REGIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OPENS ON 5 JU

Agricultural Development and Commercialization

The 5-day Structured Learning Visit on Regional Rural Development Planning for Laos government officials opens on 5 July 2011 at Mekong Institute with 14 senior to middle-level government officials from central and provincial offices of the Department of Planning, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (DoP-MPI). The participants were warmly welcomed by Dr. Suchat Katima, MI Director. Dr. Suchat also expressed his appreciation for the technical and financial support of German Agency for International Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the DoP-MPI for cooperating with MI on this project. 

Giving the opening remarks was Ms. Phonevanh Outhavong who is the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Planning, Ministry of Planning and Investment. In her speech, Ms. Outhavong emphasized that the Structured Learning Visit in Thailand would be very useful in the light of changing Lao administrative system. This activity is seen as a valuable undertaking to provide Laos officials tangible experiences on Regional Rural Development Planning. It is hoped that the impressions of the participants will inspire them to come up with a legal framework which allows for a replication of positive lessons in the Lao process of revising its participatory planning guidelines. 

This program aims to expose the participants to the planning procedures in Thailand and equip them with knowledge and relevant ideas which can serve as inputs in the design of the new District Socio-Economic Development Plan (DSEDP) in Laos PDR. As such, the program will take the participants to 7 different organizations involved in regional planning and learn about the decentralized national planning system in Thailand, its structures, processes, and effective coordination among involved agencies. The study visit will focus not only on good examples and practices or success factors, but also on the problems, difficulties and challenges faced in setting up the system. 

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Mrs. Guohua Liu

Director, Sustainable Energy & Environment (SEE) Department

Mrs. Liu Guohua is the Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department at the Mekong Institute. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, where she played a key role in shaping and implementing China’s cooperation strategies with UN development agencies. During this time, Mrs. Liu was actively involved in advancing initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate change and green development. Additionally, she contributed to the evaluation of projects funded by various Chinese initiatives, such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, etc.

In addition to her work in the Department of International Economic Affairs, Mrs. Liu has an extensive diplomatic background. She spent 7 years in the Department of African Affairs, followed by a 4-year tenure at the Chinese Embassy in Lao PDR, where she gained deep expertise in both Southeast Asian and African affairs. These diverse experiences have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to sustainable development and international collaboration, particularly in building regional partnerships and tackling global challenges like climate change.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in Finance, from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, specializing in International Economics and Trade, from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.