Publications

The strategy development focal points of the Working Group on Health Cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) met in Bangkok on 25-26 July 2023 to lay out the road map for the GMS Health Cooperation Strategy 2024-2030.  The meeting also discussed new areas of interest and possible partnerships, the process for upcoming country consultations, and the organization of the 6th GMS Working Group on Health Cooperation meeting to be held in Beijing, People’s Republic of China in December 2023.

The rich natural environment of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has led to significant development to the economy and livelihoods, but the GMS countries, especially the Lower Mekong countries, are highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters.

In the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) water resources form the basis of agrarian prosperity and economic development. However, increasing water demand due to population growth, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, as well as a changing climate, are undermining those water resources.

Agrifood value chains in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), overall, proved to be resilient to global supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and have made a vital contribution to food security, and economic recovery. Many challenges, however, remain.

This upcoming workshop, to be held on 26-27 April in Bangkok, Thailand, and via videoconferencing, aligns with output 1: strengthening climate-friendly, inclusive, and gender-responsive agri-food value chains and agribusinesses of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) technical assistance GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (SAFSP). 

Food safety has a significant negative impact on economic growth and human health. As a result, more mandatory legal requirements for food safety risk management techniques and various risk management mechanisms are being adopted.

Rural communities in the GMS (comprising 67 percent of the GMS population) are on the frontline of climate change and most vulnerable to losses and damages, and many lack the resources and capacity to deal with them.

The ADB and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Cambodia convened the 5th Greater Mekong Subregion Working Group on Health Cooperation Meeting (GMS-WGHC-5 Meeting) on 13–14 December 2022 in Siem Reap.

The Greater Mekong Subregion has been undergoing diverse and rapid agricultural transformation over the last decades and contributing majorly to the global food supply.

The transportation sector in the GMS is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, which contribute to climate change and negatively impact human health and the local and global environment.