Quick News

Laos recently related to participants from other regions its experience with the effects of climate change over the years, ranging from storms and flooding to drought.

Phouvong Luangxaysana, director-general of the Disaster Management and Climate Change Department, addressed a June 29-July 3 workshop on vulnerability and adaptation assessment in Vientiane.

Laos is the one of many countries vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It has been experiencing an exponential increase in unexpected and extreme weather events like floods and droughts every year as reflected by the worst events in the country’s climate records.

Recent examples include the flooding in 2008, Typhoon Ketsana, which hit the south of Laos in 2009, and Typhoon Nokten, which hit northern Laos in 2011. All of these caused devastating losses to poor farming families.

According to scientific evidence, this situation is predicted to worsen in the years ahead. Phouvong said he believes this workshop will contribute to the strengthening of knowledge and capacity to deal with issues identified at the 19th session of the Consultative Group of Experts held in Warsaw, Poland.

The workshop is designed to provide hands-on training, using the CGE training materials on vulnerability and adaptation assessment to further support the identification of related adaptation measures to address climate change challenges.

He urged each individual, along with the public and private sectors, to integrate climate change into his daily work and cooperate with regional and international organisations and to contribute to national, regional and global efforts in tackling climate change impacts and global warming. – Vientiane Times

Onyx offers scholarships in hospitality for Karen students

Onyx Hospitality Group is supporting the Hospitality and Catering Training Centre (HCTC) with a Bt100,000 sponsorship.

HCTC was established in Mae Sot through the collaboration of two non-governmental organisations – the Institut Europ