Vientiane, 5 September 2025: United Nations (UN) Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Kanni Wignaraja, will visit Lao PDR from 05 to10 September 2025. 

This will be her second official visit to Lao PDR since assuming her functions as UNDP Regional Director for Asia and thePacific. Her first visit in 2022 laid the foundation for a series of collaborative initiatives in various sectors. This visit reflects UNDP’s continued commitment to supporting the Lao Government’s efforts to advance sustainable development. It also coincides with the 60^th anniversary of UNDP. 

Starting in Luang Prabang, Ms. Wignaraja will visit Nasangwery Village, where UNDP has been implementing   the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (IWRM-EbA) project, that supports the reduction of flood risk and community resilience to climate change.  She will meet with the Mayor of Luang Prabang and local business leaders to explore potential partnerships in disaster risk management, urban ecosystem restoration, and resilience building.

Ms. Wignaraja will also visit the Luang Prabang One Door Service Center (ODSC) with the provincial authorities and hand over IT equipment to support the modernization and digitalization of public services to the local population. Her mission in Luang Prabang will conclude with a visit to the UXO Lao Visitor Center. 

In Vientiane, Ms. Wignaraja is scheduled to meet high-level government officials to discuss UNDP's support and contribution to national development priorities, including the 10^th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and Lao PDR’s upcoming transition from Least Developed Country status. 

Ms. Wignaraja will participate in an event taking stock of UNDP’s 60 years of development work, the 15th Anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Launch of Lao PDR’s Presidency of the 3rd Review Conference. She will also join a Dialogue on the Future of Development Financing in Lao PDR and participate in the Launch of the Gender Situational Analysis of the National Assembly and the Provincial People’s Assemblies, the first such study in Lao PDR.

Over nearly four decades, UNDP has partnered with the Government of Lao PDR and local communities to support economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality, clear unexploded ordnance (UXO), improve disaster management, promote good governance and youth participation, and foster inclusive, environmentally sustainable development toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a smooth transition from Least Developed Country (LDC) status. Regional Director Wignaraja’s visit will further strengthen this partnership at a time of shifting aid priorities and a changing Official Development Assistance landscape globally. 

Note to Editors

About UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director Ms. Kanni Wignaraja

Kanni Wignaraja began her role as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific on 18 November 2019. 

Ms. Wignaraja has over thirty years of experience with the UN's mission and UNDP's role in the sustainable development agenda. She has a deep knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region and the global, regional, and country-level workings of UNDP across policy, programme, management, and operations.

Prior to joining the UN, Ms. Wignaraja worked with the Ford Foundation in New York. She has contributed to numerous papers, articles, and conferences in areas of public policy, institutional reform, capacity development, human rights, and leadership.

Ms. Wignaraja holds a master's degree in public administration (Development Economics) from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bryn Mawr College. 

About UNDP 

UNDP works across 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships, and institutions to sustain their progress. 

For more information, please contact: 

Philomling Vilay

Research Analyst, UNDP Lao PDR, 

philomling.vilay@undp.org