On Friday August 16, His Excellency Tsutomu Koizumi, Ambassador of Japan to Laos, and Mrs Asuka Yoshihashi, Head of the Department of Culture and Public Relations, visited the workshop led by Nathanaël Maury and Somchit Sudavanh as part of IRD research programs in Laos on biodiversity conservation and the fight against malnutrition.
During this visit, N. Maury and S. Sudavanh demonstrated Japanese equipment used in the production of an electric motorcycle, which won a Guinness World record for the longest distance covered without recharging in Laos, and in the production of very high-resolution photographs. Cases, lenses, microphotography accessories: These tools were key to the IRD photographic exhibition in partnership with the Agence universitaire de la francophonie (AUF) titled “Biodiversity of Laos as you've never seen it before”, which was featured at the French Institute of Laos in 2023 following training sessions organised by the MIVEGEC team in Laos.
© IRD
© IRD
© IRD
© IRD
© IRD
Philippe Schmidt, CEO of Mai Savanh Lao, a social enterprise and partner in the NutriLao project, also presented the nutrition projects carried out in collaboration with IRD teams, and relations with Japanese companies.
The visit strengthened ties between IRD, the private sector in Laos and decision-makers. It was also a great opportunity to discuss future collaborations between the various parties in the fields of biodiversity conservation and nutrition, such as partnerships with photographic equipment manufacturers, the “Biodiversity in Laos as you've never seen it before” exhibition in Japan, support for new training programs or assistance in publishing books.
