Laos Legalizes Local Nonprofit Groups

For the first time in its history, the Southeast Asian nation of Laos will allow its citizens to form nonprofit organizations, according to the Vientiane Times, the country’s English-speaking newspaper.

Under the “association establishment” decree signed by Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, local groups can now register members, organize themselves, and be legally protected. In the past, loosely organized domestic groups did exist but operated quietly under the government’s radar.

The move was welcomed by dozens of international nongovernmental organizations, which have been pressing the Communist government to legalize nonprofit groups for years.

International aid groups have been allowed to operate in Laos since the country began to open up its economy in 1986. Laos, one of the least developed nations in the world, depends heavily on foreign aid.

The decree will take effect in November.