International visitor arrivals in the Greater Mekong Subregion went up by 13% to 59.9 million in 2017, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Annual Tourism Monitor 2018.
Thailand was the host of the 8th ACMECS Summit, which was attended by (from left) Myanmar President U Win Myint, Viet Nam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao People's Democratic Republic Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.
Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao reaffirmed ADB's support to the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy in a video message shown at the 8th ACMECS Summit on 16 June in Bangkok.
Five Mekong River Basin countries have agreed on a 5-year master plan that includes promoting the smooth flow of goods and people in the East-West Economic Corridor and Southern Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
PU’ER CITY, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (31 May 2018) — Senior agriculture officials from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion agreed to increase regional cooperation in food safety, boost the trading of climate-friendly agriculture products, and accelerate the implementation of the five-year GMS Strategy and Siem Reap Action Plan endorsed by the Second GMS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting.
Top officials at the opening ceremony included Viet Nam Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Secretary of Dong Thap Provincial Party Committee Le Minh Hoan, Viet Nam Transport Minister Nguyen Van The, and Country Director Eric Sidgwick of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Viet Nam. Photo: ADB Viet Nam Resident Mission.
Viet Nam officially opened the 2.4-kilometer Cao Lanh Friendship Bridge and connecting roads in Dong Thap province on 27 May. Crossing the Tien branch of the Mekong River, the bridge is expected to reduce travel time for some 170,000 road users daily.
Setting up an environmental impact assessment system is one of the ways to minimize the potential negative impacts that large-scale investments can have on ecosystems and local communities. Photo: ADB.
Myanmar is putting in place a national safeguards system to better balance rapid economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Satellite data may be used to produce key agricultural statistics, including estimating crop yields. Photo: iStock.com.
An innovative data fusion technique, which combines two freely available satellite data sources, is used to map paddy area and estimate rice yield in Thai Binh province, Viet Nam.
International Finance Corporation is providing $15 million in long-term financing to the International Bulk Terminal (Thilawa) Company Limited to develop and operate one of the first bulk terminals in Myanmar.
There is a need to strengthen health systems to prevent and manage climate-sensitive diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly, women, and children. Photo: ADB.
Climate change poses threats to public health in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which is already experiencing hotter weather, longer dry seasons, and changing rainfall patterns.
Growth in Southeast Asia is forecast steady this year and next. Photo: iStock.
Southeast Asia continues to benefit from the rise in global trade and the pickup in commodity prices. It is expected to maintain its 2017 growth rate of 5.2% in both 2018 and 2019, according to the Asian Development Outlook 2018.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226
