(VientianeTimes) Laos joins the international community to celebrate the 61th anniversary of World Meteorological Day on March 23.

This year's theme, “Climate for you”, focused on establishing meteorological networking stations to improve weather forecasts.

Deputy Prime Minister and President of National Environment Committee Asang Laoly released his message to mark the event, saying that changes in climatic conditions around the globe are causing both positive and negative effects on the livelihoods of people.

“We observed that many severe weather events occurred over the past years including typhoons, severe flooding in the US, severe sandstorms in Mongolia and China, and droughts in Africa and the Middle East, severely affecting food security in those regions,” he said.

Mr Asang said that regionally there has been severe flooding in the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, and most recently the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Laos is not exempt from the impact of climate change despite being a land-locked country. In recent years, Laos has experienced severe flooding and drought, affecting livelihoods and socio-economic development.

“Our Party and government are always concerned about the lives and property of Lao people in all ethnic groups as a result of climate change. Our nation works in cooperation with friendly nations and international organisations to formulate a strategy related to national disaster management and to formulate action plans in response to the changes.”

Mr Asang confirmed that the government will focus on improving and enhancing meteorology networks and earthquake stations throughout the country to anticipate disasters. Currently the government is working to implement better weather broadcasting to facilitate commercial agriculture production and ensure food security.

The government will also continue to work in cooperation with the international community to respond to climate change by focusing on sustainable use of natural resources, according to Mr Asang.

Forestry is a major focus for Laos. The government has set a goal to return the country's forest coverage to 70 percent of total land mass by 2020.

Mr Asang urged sectors in Laos to join hands to do whatever they can to deal with natural disasters. The International Meteorological Organisation acts as the UN's specialised agency for meteorology, operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. Contributions to safety and welfare include work in food security, water resources and transport.

World Meteorological Day has been held annually on March 23 since 1961.