GMS Contents

A Development Partners’ Meeting on Biofuels and Rural Renewable Energy was held at the FAO Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 March 2009.

The Special SEF meeting was held to refine and finalize the GMS Road Map for Expanded Energy Cooperation, for endorsing it to the 15th GMS Ministerial Meeting to be held in Thailand in June 2009. Formulated in line with the recommendations of the recently completed GMS Energy Strategy Study, the Road Map was earlier presented at the SEF meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam and at the GMS Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) in Bangkok, Thailand, both held in November 2008. These meetings agreed to further review and hold internal consultations on the Road Map.

As trade is an important driver of growth and infrastructure is a necessity for trade, infrastructure development has a key role to play in economic development. This study aims to quantify the potential benefits of the development of the economic transport corridors, along with the implementation of the Cross-Border Transport Agreement (CBTA) in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Some of the key linkages between upgraded infrastructure, economic growth, and sectoral responses are explored using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) framework.