Mekong - U.S. Partnership
The United States and Lao PDR co-chaired the 2024 Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP) Policy Dialogue in Vientiane, Lao PDR, December 12-13. The two-day event convened Director and Deputy Director General officials responsible for issues relevant to the collective Mekong sub-region from the six MUSP member countries of Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the United States. Delegates engaged in strategic policy and programmatic planning across MUSP’s four areas of engagement: economic connectivity, natural resources management, non-traditional security, and human resource development. Participants provided progress updates on existing initiatives, exchanged views on priorities for future engagement, and agreed in principle to incorporate 13 new programs through an addendum to the MUSP’s 2024-2026 Plan of Action. The United States reaffirmed its commitment to the MUSP, as well as its goals of promoting stability, peace, prosperity, and the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region. The Lao PDR closed the event by handing off its co-chair duties to Thailand, which will serve as MUSP co-chair in 2025.
