Under the APO Bilateral Cooperation Between NPOs (BCBN) Program, officials from the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism participated in an exchange with the Korea Productivity Center (KPC) on the evolution of the productivity movement along with human-centered productivity in August 2011. The KPC has been developing human capital to disseminate advanced knowledge, increase efficiency and competency, and foster personal attributes required for labor to produce greater economic value. Under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the KPC provides training, research, and consultation services to both the public and private sectors.

After attending a presentation session, the Lao officials made site visits to manufacturing and technological centers of excellence to learn how Koreans overcame postwar poverty and became an industrial nation. The key factor in productivity growth was increased efficiency and effectiveness, which reduced costs and thereby made enterprises more competitive in the domestic and international market.

With the support and guidance of the APO and its NPO, Lao PDR is striving to eliminate poverty and working to become a modern industrialized nation by 2020 based on UN Millennium Development Goals. The BCBN delegates looked forward to applying and disseminating the lessons learned from the KPC to other organizations in their country.

Contributed by Sayasith Khamphasith, APO Liaison Officer for Lao PDR, Lao National Productivity Organization.