The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) welcome the findings and recommendations of the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) related to Laos. The organizations urge the Lao authorities to fully implement the CESCR’s recommendations without delay, particularly regarding human rights defenders and business and human rights, including in relation to infrastructure and development projects.
Paris, 14 October 2025. On 26 September 2025, the UN CESCR released its findings and recommendations (known as “Concluding Observations”) concerning Laos, following the review of the country’s initial report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which took place on 18 and 19 September 2025 in Geneva. The CESCR monitors the implementation of the ICESCR’s provisions by state parties, including Laos.
Some of the CESCR’s Concluding Observation reflected information presented by FIDH and LMHR in their joint report submitted to the CECSR as part of its review of Laos.
For example, the CESCR expressed “deep concern” over human rights defenders and representatives of civil society working on economic, social, and cultural rights, who have been subjected to intimidation, threats, harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention, unjustified criminal prosecution, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killing, and repression, including transnational repression. The CESCR was also concerned about the Lao government’s “insufficient efforts” to provide defenders with adequate protection and to conduct prompt, effective, and impartial investigations and punish perpetrators with appropriate penalties. The committee recommended the Lao government strengthen the protection of human rights defenders, journalists, and activists working on economic, social, and cultural rights, and their families, and ensure that all violations against them are promptly, effectively, and impartially investigated, prosecuted, and remedied. The CESCR also called on the government to ensure that legislation is not used to unduly restrict activities of government critics, human rights defenders, and activists.
With regard to business and human rights, the CESCR raised concern over Laos’ inadequate legal obligations for businesses to exercise human rights due diligence when operating in the country, as well as the lack of a national action plan for business and human rights. The committee was also concerned about the environmental impact of “large-scale development projects,” particularly the construction of dams and hydropower plants, and the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs), which have adversely affected the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights of indigenous peoples, ethnic minority groups, and other local communities. The CESCR called on the government to develop and implement a national action plan on business and human rights, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including businesses, civil society organizations, and indigenous and local communities. The committee recommended the government establish measures requiring businesses to conduct human rights due diligence to prevent negative impacts on economic, social, and cultural rights, and ensure accountability and appropriate remedies for violations of these rights resulting from business activities and development projects. In addition, the committee urged the government to “systematically carry out prior and meaningful consultations with affected local communities” as well as “independent human rights and environmental impact assessments” before undertaking business activities, development projects, and granting land or resource concessions.
The CESCR was also concerned about “inadequate labor protection and exploitative practices,” including trafficking in persons, forced labor, and debt bondage, faced by both Lao and migrant workers, especially women and children, in the SEZs. The committee recommended the government strengthen protection for workers in the SEZs from the risks of such abusive practices, including by ensuring “access to effective, independent and confidential complaint mechanisms” and prosecuting those responsible.
In addition, the CESCR expressed concern that minimum wage for workers continued to be insufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living amid persistent high inflation and depreciation of the national currency. The committee called on the government to guarantee the minimum wage to all workers, regularly adjust wage levels in line with the cost of living, and strengthen enforcement through inspections and complaint mechanisms.
Several of the CESCR’s recommendations, particularly those related to human rights defenders and infrastructure and development projects, were consistent with those made by UN member states during Laos’ fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in April 2025.
The government accepted three out of four UPR recommendations concerning infrastructure and development projects, calling for proper and meaningful consultation and compensation for affected communities.
However, the government refused to accept 11 out of 13 recommendations related to human rights defenders, activists, and civil society actors, including those that called for prompt, impartial, and independent investigations into all cases of killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention, and other violations against them. The government blatantly denied the existence of such violations in the country.
FIDH and LMHR urge the Lao government to implement the recommendations it accepted and to reconsider its position on those it refused to accept, which, in light of the CESCR’s Concluding Observations, are consistent with the country’s international human rights obligations.
