The Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party has issued a resolution on organisational restructuring, aiming to create a more efficient, professional, and accountable government that can deliver better services for the people.
The adjustment is intended to enable one ministry and organisation to manage multiple tasks and sectors. At the same time, specific authority and responsibility should be delegated between ministries, organisations and related local departments.
It will adjust and clarify the roles, responsibilities and scope of authority of ministries, organisations, and institutions targeted by organisational restructuring.
Personnel will be re-evaluated and re-arranged based on actual needs, prioritising quality, addressing redundancy, reducing the number of civil servants through various approaches in an effort to create a more streamlined and effective governance structure.
Several ministries in Laos will merge to improve efficiency. The Ministry of Planning and Investment will combine with the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines will join the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will merge with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to form the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Other changes include transferring civil servant management from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Party Personnel Board and moving administrative functions like mapping and religious affairs to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism will also shift its media responsibilities to the Party Propaganda and Training Board and become the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
As of 2024, Laos had a total of 168,572 civil servants, excluding armed forces, accounting for 2.18% of its population and ranked 6th in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations./.
VNA
