GMS in the News

Risk communication is a critical component of countries’ effective response to health emergencies. This is why it is one of the focus areas of the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED), the common strategic framework for World Health Organization member countries of the Asia Pacific region to effectively detect, prepare for, and respond to threats posed by emerging infectious diseases. Risk communication helps inform decision making, encourage positive behavior change, and maintain public trust.  

The Ministers of the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) are set to lay the groundwork for the preparation for the 7th GMS Summit of Leaders. 

Hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the 23rd GMS Ministerial Conference (MC-23) will take place in Phnom Penh on 18 November 2019, with the theme "Greater Integration, Inclusivity and Sustainability in the GMS.”   

Dr. Phouthone Muongpak, Deputy Minister of Health of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) underscored the importance of considering health indicators, in particular child nutrition, when it comes to investments in health. Reducing malnutrition continues to be a key challenge in Lao PDR, one that requires political, financial, and collaborative efforts from all sectors and levels, according to Dr. Muongpak.

Financial resource mobilization by the Malaria Trust Fund has helped eradicate malaria and build strong foundations for health systems in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Health Cooperation Strategy 2019–2023 was approved by the Ministry of Health of Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam; National Health Commission of People’s Republic of China; Ministry of Health and Sports of Myanmar; and Ministry of Public Health of Thailand.

SINGAPORE (23 October 2018) — Regional cooperation is increasingly necessary to tackle a rising number of cross-border challenges in Asia and the Pacific, including infrastructure gaps, trade connectivity, financial contagion, and climate and disaster-resilience, according to a new report from the Asian Development Bank.

In the Greater Mekong Subregion, unregulated medicines in the supply chain, including substandard or fake medicines, are fueling resistance to artemisinin combination therapies, the most effective treatment for falciparum malaria.

Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion recognize how a health impact assessment framework can help ensure that both businesses and communities benefit from economic zone development.