India Provides USD 1 Million for Food Fortification Initiative in Lao PDR.

Banking & Finance

On February 28, 2025, the Government of India (GoI) provided a grant of approximately USD 1 million to the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) under the India-United Nations (UN) Development Partnership Fund.


      - The grant will support the project titled "Strengthening Large-scale Food Fortification: The Case of Investing in Rice Fortification."

      - The project, implemented by the Rome (Italy) based World Food Programme (WFP), aims to strengthen food systems, address long-term nutrition-specific strategies, promote food fortification programs, and improve nutritional diversity to overcome micro-nutrient deficiencies in Lao PDR. The project focuses on fortifying rice, an essential food widely consumed across the country, to tackle ongoing malnutrition challenges.

      - The project’s support reflects India’s longstanding and multifaceted collaboration with Lao PDR.

Main Point :-   (i) The Fund adheres to the principles of South-South cooperation, prioritizing national ownership, sustainability, and the development of local competence.

      (ii) The Government of India has invested USD 150 million into this Fund, which has supported 85 projects across 65 countries.

(iii) The India-UN Development Partnership Fund was established by the GOI in 2017 to support projects in developing countries aimed at contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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