Promoting sustainable development through long-term involvement

A 20-year involvement

Ramboll Natura (then Swedforest) has been involved in the cooperation between Laos and Sweden for 20 continuous years, and is still implementing one of Sida’s major programmes URDP, that will continue until early 2012.

During the 90’s, Ramboll implemented two phases of the Lao Swedish Forestry Programme, focusing on method development for natural resources management, and during the 00’s, this support came to include support to the Agriculture and Forestry research sector. When the Swedish support was expanded to the environmental sector, Ramboll was awarded the first phase of the Strengthening Environmental Management project in 2001.

A rewarding involvement

One of Ramboll’s employees, Mr Carl Mossberg, has been stationed in Laos for more than 15 years. He has been intimately involved in these programmes as the Chief Technical Adviser for three consecutive long-term programmes:

"Up until about 10 years back, major parts of the natural resources of Lao PDR were protected because of lack of infrastructure and closed borders for trade. However, Lao PDR is today in a phase of accelerating economic development, where the use of natural resources (from agriculture, forestry, mining, electricity based on hydropower or coal) are increasing basically from day to day", explains Carl Mossberg.

"Over the past 15 years, we have created awareness and supported the upgrading of knowledge of all categories of staff in the organisations I have assisted. We have also stimulated analytical thinking and reporting. All these inputs have resulted in a gradual shift away from 'only taking action on instructions from above', which was dominating the functioning of the government when we started to provide support," he continues.

"It has been very stimulating to see and support Lao PDR in opening up and to help Lao people attain more knowledge and a better life. This has happened among Government staff as well as many people in rural areas. On the negative side, it is worrying to see that there still are major difficulties in using the developed knowledge to sustain the use of natural resources", Carl Mossberg says about the outcome of the programmes.

Conclusion of the Sida programme

In October, Sida brought together partners and audiences at a closing seminar, looking back on the 30 year long cooperation. Ramboll acted as hosts for the Laos delegation that participated in the Sida seminar, which also included a field trip to Värmland to learn how Swedish farmers organise themselves in interest groups and how they link to the market.

Sida’s support to Laos' natural resource and environment sector now is being phased out, and can present many good results, but also some challenges in the development work that now will continue independently.

Apart from the Sida-financed programmes, Ramboll is currently implementing several other projects financed by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), EU and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Laos.