Who is she?
Dr. Souvanpheng Bouphanouvong is a representative from Vientiane in the Lao National Assembly, and serves as president of the Economics, Planning, and Finance Committee. Elected in 2000, Souvanpheng was first appointed to a leading role in the National Committee for Progression of Women in 2003 and then as vice president of the Economics, Planning and Finance Committee in 2006. She became committee president in May 2011.
Souvanpheng was born May 15, 1960, in Huaphan province, located on the Vietnamese border in northeastern Laos, where many revolutionaries were based during the war with the United States. She earned two PhDs studying in Vietnam, in the fields of political economics and political studies. Souvanpheng began her political career promoting women’s issues in the propaganda department of the Lao Women’s Union. She served as acting head of the women’s newspaper from 1993 to 1996.
Dr. Souvanpheng Bouphanouvong met with U.S. Congressman Steve Chabot during his May 2012 visit to Laos to review the status of U.S.-Lao cooperation. Source: U.S. Embassy to Laos website, U.S. government work.
Why is she in the news?
As president of the Economics, Planning and Finance Committee, Dr. Souvanpheng played a key role in preparing Laos for World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, which the WTO approved October 26. Considered a firebrand and highly popular, she sought to learn from the experiences of Vietnam, which joined the WTO in 2007, and actively supports continued efforts to transform the Lao economy and strengthen rule of law.
She has also pushed to shift the economy from a subsistence to intellectually based one, in which small and medium enterprises are strengthened by focusing on value added production.
What can we expect from her?
Dr. Souvanpheng, as one of Laos’s most active legislators, is leading the National Assembly in its transformation from a rubber stamp legislature to a more transparent and independent institution. As president of the Economics, Planning, and Finance Committee, she has the power to significantly influence Laos’s economic and political development in the coming years.
Souvanpheng’s outspoken efforts to increase legislative legitimacy, build a strong and stable economy, and incorporate constituents’ concerns into lawmaking will continue to transform the role played by the National Assembly.
