GMS in the News

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a grant of $1.3 million to advance disaster risk management in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through technical assistance (TA). The TA will support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response Work Programme, 2021–2025, which will strengthen regional cooperation on understanding, reducing, and managing transboundary risks.

An Asian Development Bank (ADB) article underscores that collective action helped contribute to combating the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and notes that expanding and deepening cross-border cooperation in Asia and the Pacific will help the region navigate newer economic challenges and the worsening climate crisis. The support that ADB and other development partners have extended to countries in managing the various impact from the pandemic has provided valuable lessons on tackling oncoming threats. 

Foreign ministers of Mekong–Lancang Cooperation member countries vowed to strengthen their cooperation in economic integration, agriculture and food security, green development, innovation, public health and people-to-people exchanges, at the 7th Mekong - Lancang Cooperation meeting. 

The meeting adopted four joint statements on strengthening agricultural cooperation, disaster prevention, customs and trade facilitation, and exchanges between MLC civilizations. 

The Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of Health of Viet Nam convened the 4th GMS Health Sector Working Group Meeting on 8 December 2021. The theme was “Solidarity through Information Exchange for COVID-19 Immunization in the GMS”.

The Asian Development Bank, in partnership with the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne, is organizing a virtual Greater Mekong Subregion meeting entitled, “One Health in the GMS: Where are we now and where next?” on 3 June 2021 via video conferencing.  

Southeast Asian countries can benefit from investments in green infrastructure, digital transformation, big data, and revenue mobilization through tax reform as the region recovers from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, said Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa at the second Southeast Asia Development Symposium.

The first Friends of the Mekong Policy Dialogue under the new Mekong-U.S. Partnership was convened by the United States of America (USA) and Viet Nam on 12 January 2021.

The region’s success with decades of growth and poverty reduction is due in large part to the international movement of trade, capital, people, knowledge, and resources – not only within the region but with the rest of the world. This type of regional cooperation is also a powerful tool in addressing the pandemic.

Japan and Mekong countries convened the 12th Mekong-Japan Summit on 13 November, cochaired by Japan Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Viet Nam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The meeting underscored Japan’s strong commitment to the Mekong subregion and reviewed progress of cooperation between Japan and Mekong countries (Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic [PDR], Thailand, Myanmar, and Viet Nam) as guided by the "Tokyo Strategy 2018." The Strategy seeks to strengthen connectivity, improve human resource development, and enhance environmental protection.