More than ten thousand coffee and tea farmers on the Bolaven Plateau have benefited from the SOLAR project, which aimed to expand social security and labour rights for coffee and tea farmers in southern Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The SOLAR project, jointly implemented by the International Labour Organization and Oxfam, held its closing ceremony on 28 June 2024. Funded by the European Union, the project contributed to the European Union's objectives of supporting responsible businesses and decent work in supply chains.
Over three years, the SOLAR project facilitated access to social security and improved occupational safety and health measures for coffee and tea farmers on the Bolaven Plateau, many of whom are informal workers. It increased understanding of social security, occupational safety and health and gender issues among 12,612 farmers and registered 806 workers in the National Social Security Fund.
The project also strengthened grassroots service delivery by piloting three new approaches, and empowering workers' organizations, including smallholder farmers, informal workers, newly-formed cooperatives, and farmer production groups.
This was achieved through training of local authorities and civil society organizations, dialogue, advocacy and technical analyses, which led to the creation of 34 local social protection promoters in the target districts and 22 core safety and health trainers. As a result of the project, 23 women moved into leadership and administrative roles in the target communities and workplaces.
© Saiyadeth Sitthilath/ILO The closing ceremony was followed by the third and final Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting, a multi-stakeholder body which allows the national government, local authorities and village leaders, sectoral associations, coffee and tea producer groups, and development partners to work together to promote better access to labour rights for Lao coffee and tea farmers.
The PAC meeting was preceded by a Provincial Working Group (PWG) meeting on 12 June 2024, attended by representatives from the three target provinces of Champasak, Sekong and Salavan. Both the PAC and PWG meetings served as platforms for reflecting the highlights and lessons from the SOLAR project's implementation.
"Throughout its three years, the SOLAR project supported the vision of the National Social Protection Strategy: by 2030, Lao people will have access to basic social protection services in an equitable, adequate, effective and sustainable way. Guided by this vision, ILO and Oxfam supported the Lao government, social partners and civil society to pursue the common goal of bringing social protection benefits and services closer to Lao farmers and people," said Loveleen De, Project Manager, ILO.
© Saiyadeth Sitthilath/ILO 
