In August 2025, Manushya Foundation and Power by Keyboard submitted a Joint Civil Society Report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), ahead of its 78th Session (8-26 September 2025), where Laos’ compliance with the Covenant will be reviewed. The report titled “Profits Over People, Repression Over Rights: The State of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Laos” exposes a wide range of pressing issues, including repression of human rights defenders, land grabbing, environmental destruction, forced evictions, widespread corruption, lack of corporate accountability, labour exploitation, poverty, barriers to healthcare and education, threats to cultural heritage, and deepening inequalities experienced by Indigenous Peoples, women, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

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Drawing on verified testimonies, ongoing community monitoring, and sources ranging from UN mechanisms to government and media reports, the report documents systemic violations of economic, social, and cultural rights in Laos. It also uncovers the government’s misleading claims and advances clear, rights-based recommendations grounded in the lived experiences of affected communities. 

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We call on the international community to stand with the people of Laos who are silenced, repressed, and denied their rights, and to hold the Lao government accountable to its obligations under the Covenant.