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MONEY OVER LIVES, LIES OVER THE TRUTH: The State of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Laos
22 November 2023

The 2023 Joint Civil Society CESCR report, collaboratively developed by Manushya Foundation and Lao activists & partners strongly dedicated to improving the human rights situation in Lao PDR, comprises the List of Issues (LOIs) to be considered by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), during the Pre-Sessional Working Group for its 73rd Session in its review of the Lao People Democratic Republic’s upcoming Periodic Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Lao PDR signed the CESCR on 7 December 2000 and ratified it on 13 February 2007.

This report lists the most important economic, social, and cultural rights issues that the Committee should include in its review, using information we obtained through our ongoing monitoring of the human rights situation in Laos, thorough desk research, and the testimonies of brave Lao activists and communities who had shared their grievances and concerns with us. To ensure their safety and security, the report was submitted to the UN anonymously and it is only publicly launched now, after the most sensitive information has been removed. The report fact-checks the inaccuracies and misleading statements that the Lao government provided in its 2022 report to the CESCR Committee, complemented by a list of recommended questions the Committee should ask the Lao government during the review.

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