The ILO has a long history of providing advisory support to the Lao Government for its rural infrastructure works programme dating all the way back to the early 1980s. In addition, over the last five years, the ILO, with technical backstopping from ASIST-AP, has been supporting the Government in establishing effective tools for infrastructure developmentan through Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning IRAP) in a number of provinces as well as at central level. Due to the positive results of this collaboration between the ILO and the Government, IRAP has been adopted by the MCTPC as its preferred planning tool for rural roads.

Currently ASIST-AP has a close collaboration with the formal training institutions involved in this sector - in particular the Polytechnic, the School of Transport and Communications and the MCTPC Telecom and Communication Training Institute (TCTI).

Further, ASIST-AP is providing technical assistance to the ADB loan funded Shifting Cultivation Stabilisation Pilot Project (SCSPP) in Houaphanh Province. This support consists of (i) technical inputs for the survey and design of two rural roads, (ii) assistance in contract supervision during the implementation of the road works, and (iii) strengthening of local capacity to undertake similar work in the future.