IRD’s Strategic Steering Committee Meeting in Luang Prabang Focuses on Ecosystem Sustainability.

Luang Prabang: The French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) representative office in Lao convened its Scientific and Strategic Steering Committee (CPSS) in Luang Prabang on November 19. The meeting gathered Laotian and French partners to evaluate ecosystem sustainability needs and priorities and implement the One Health approach. According to Lao News Agency, the committee featured round-table discussions, presentations, and interactive workshops. Participants included Laotian and French scientists, officials, donors, companies, academics, and associations who discussed ongoing interdisciplinary projects. The discussions aimed to set the agenda for future actions on land use, soil and water resources, biodiversity, and pathogen transmission. In a significant development, the new SMART observatory (Sustainable Mountain Agroecosystem Research and Training station) in Ban Lak Sip was inaugurated. The station focuses on training Southeast Asian professionals and students in food safe ty and water-related health risks. The inauguration was attended by local authorities, the Laotian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the French Ambassador to Laos, and the IRD representative in Laos. H.E. Ms. Siv-Leng Chhuor highlighted the SMART observatory as a symbol of cooperation and a bridge for shared knowledge, aiming for a sustainable future. The station will contribute to creating environmentally and socially sustainable development solutions in isolated mountainous areas of northern Laos, continuing the work of the M-TROPICS observatory. The IRD's 80th-anniversary celebrations included a cocktail reception at the French Institut in Luang Prabang. The event featured opening speeches by the French Ambassador to Laos, the Director of the French Institute in Luang Prabang, and the IRD representative in Laos. Attendees were treated to photo exhibitions and scientific short film screenings on health anthropology, waste management, and the health risks faced by waste pickers at the Vientiane landfill .