Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for International Affairs, Supervised and Attached Agencies Emeline Villar presides the knowledge exchange session between the DSWD and the government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s (PDR) Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare led by General Director Chomyaeng Phengtonsawat on Thursday (May 30).

The knowledge sharing held at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City discussed the two governments’ best practices, programs and services for persons with disabilities.

Usec. Villar shared DSWD’s best practices on policy development, monitoring and evaluation, and program implementation for the persons with disabilities sector in the country.

In response, General Director Phengtonsawat expressed appreciation on the new insights that his team acquired from the learning session, emphasizing that these will be part of Lao PDR’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Accompanying Usec. Villar during the sharing session were Asst. Sec. Elaine Fallarcuna; Policy and Development Planning Bureau (PDPB) Asst. Dir Hannah Giray-Carcido; and representatives of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) and Program Management Bureau (PMB), Lea Nieva and Irish Opeña, respectively.

Lao PDR delegates include Humanity and Inclusion’s Philippines Country Manager Melanie Ruiz and Humanity and Inclusion’s Lao PDR Country Manager Reiner Carabain. #