The University of Luxembourg welcomed two visiting researchers from Laos this year while professors from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance took part in lectures and workshops in Vientiane.
The partnership with the National University of Laos forms part of a development cooperation between Laos and Luxembourg. The first exchange between the two universities took place in 2013 and has since grown into one of the Faculty’s flagship projects in providing development assistance.
For the first time in 2018, the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance welcomed two researchers from Laos to support them in their work. Pangthong is a lecturer of international relations within the Faculty of Law and Political Science. During his one-month stay, he worked on his project “The Environmental Obligations of Foreign Investors in Host States: the Case of Laos” together with Prof. Matthew Happold of the Research Unit in Law and doctoral candidates in the field.
The second Lao researcher, Thipmany, worked on her project together with Associate Prof. Luca Ratti in the field of labour law.
Both were selected following a call for applications and interviews. The process was facilitated by the Institute for Legal Support and Technical Assistance (ILSTA), based in Vientiane, as well as the Faculty’s liaison officer who oversees the university partnership on the ground in Laos. This position was until recently fulfilled by Heleen de Geest who completed her contract earlier this year and was succeeded by Perrine Simon.
‘A dream come true’
“My first impression of the University of Luxembourg was that the professors are very specialized. There are lots of opportunities for academic research and connecting with the legal profession,” commented Pang. “The comments of Prof. Happold and the PhD candidates helped me make huge progress on my paper.”
Visiting Luxembourg for the first time, Pang also used the opportunity to discover a new country. “Luxembourg is magical to me. It is a beautiful country. People were very polite and kind to visitors. The experience was a dream come true!”
Shortly after the end of the one-month research stay, Prof. Happold and Associate Prof. Ratti embarked on a return visit, not only to catch up with their Lao colleagues but also to take part in conferences and workshops supporting knowledge transfer and the strengthening of legal education in Laos. During their stay, Luxembourg Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Asselborn also visited the university and was able to see the work of the partnership first hand.
The success of the partnership was recently highlighted by the Luxembourg Minister for Development and Humanitarian Action, Romain Schneider, who emphasised the role of the University of Luxembourg in the government’s development projects during a presentation on the ministry’s strategy in June.
The Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance also supports a development cooperation with Mali in association with the Universities of Bamako.