The Civil Society Action to Prevent and Mitigate COVID-19 (CiSAC) project held its End of Project Evaluation and Research Finding presentation meeting in Vientiane on July 19, 2023. The CiSAC project is a 3-year initiative funded by the European Union (EU) that was implemented from September 2020 to August 2023.

The meeting brought together representatives from Lao government ministries, civil society organizations, the EU delegation, and implementing partners. The objectives were to present the evaluation findings, reflect on lessons learned, and gather guidance for future projects.

The morning session featured opening remarks from Dr. Chansy Phimphachanh, the President of the Lao CSOs Coordination Committee (LCCC). This was followed by a presentation of the End of Project Evaluation results by an external consultant. The evaluation found that the CiSAC project had significant impact in responding to COVID in the 218 villages and on supporting recovery activities together with the government.  A lively question-and-answer session allowed participants to engage in reflective discussions and provide recommendations.
In the afternoon, two research studies linked to the CiSAC project were also presented. Both studies focused on civil society action to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 within the project. The stakeholders left the full-day meeting with a comprehensive understanding of the project's outcomes and lessons learned from these research presentations. This will help shape civil society initiatives related to pandemic response and preparedness in the future.