Mekong - U.S. Partnership
USAID Partners with Microsoft to Help Thai Students Design Innovative Solutions to Asia’s Development Challenges
A team of four Thai students mentored by the USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program won first runner-up in the World Citizenship category of the Microsoft Imagine Cup Thailand competition on April 24, 2014, in Bangkok.The students, from Chalalongkorn University, Sripatum University, Chidlada School and Assumption University won a cash prize for their “Locaze” mobile…
Earth Week Outreach Raises Wildlife Trafficking Awareness Among Bangkok’s Youth
On April 25, hundreds of students at International School Bangkok celebrated Earth Week with a one-day outreach event on wildlife trafficking. Freeland, the implementing partner of the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program, sponsored the awareness-building event.Event activities highlighted the plight of endangered species trafficked in the region, the event activities emphasized…
Hue Presents Its Draft Climate Action Plan for Stakeholder Feedback
In an April 2 shared learning dialogue chaired by Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho, Vice-Chairman of the Thua Thian-Hue Provincial People’s Committee, participants presented a draft Climate Action Plan for Hue City for stakeholder feedback.The Climate Action Plan was produced under the USAID Mekong Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities Program, which is implemented by the…
University Outreach Aims to Reduce Tiger Bone Consumption in Vietnam
From April 14-18, Vietnamese students participated in a series of university outreach events to stop consumption of endangered species and their products. The events focused on encouraging students to refrain from using ‘tiger bone glue’, a substance common in Vietnam promoted to treat a variety of ailments.The outreach event was part of a larger region-wide…
Enhancing Capacity to Conduct Rigorous Forest Carbon Stock Assessments in Southeast Asia
From March 24 to April 4, USAID’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests program organized a Technical Training on Forest Carbon Assessment and Logging Emission Factor Development in Malaysia, which included participants from Malaysia, Vietnam, and Laos, and training experts from Winrock International. The first week of training consisted of a Forest Carbon Assessment based at…
Experts Spark Regional Dialogue on Women’s Inclusion in Climate Change and Forestry Programs
From March 26 to 27, over 60 land-use, forest governance, gender, and climate change experts from public and private sectors gathered in Bangkok for an Asia-Pacific Workshop on women’s inclusion for sustainable forests and climate.The USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests program organized the workshop through a joint initiative with the UN-REDD Programme and Women…
Asian Policymakers Improve Energy and Climate Change Policy Analysis
In recent weeks, the USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program conducted two regional workshops to help government agencies track energy consumption, production and resource extraction in all economic sectors. Using an innovative tool, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) System, the government agencies learned to conduct energy policy analyses and greenhouse gas mitigation assessments.The first…
Promoting Grassroots Equity in Forests and Climate Change in the Lower Mekong Region
Last week, five civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Lower Mekong region won award of US$10,000 each from the USAID-funded Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program to promote social equity and inclusion in forests and climate change policies and practices.As part of the program’s small grant Challenge Fund, CSOs can compete for…
International Investigator Training Targets Wildlife Trafficking Hotspot
Law enforcement officers from Lao PDR and Thailand are now better equipped to stop wildlife trafficking after undergoing joint training at a major endangered species smuggling corridor.Twenty-six law enforcement investigators including customs, police, wildlife officers and prosecutors attended the training, which provided the participants from Lao PDR’s Department of Forestry Inspection with their first advanced investigations…
Press Release: Lao PDR Hosts Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group
The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic hosted over 90 delegates from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, the United States and the ASEAN Secretariat on March 20-21, 2014 for the 6th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting. The Lower Mekong Initiative is a multinational forum for addressing trans-boundary policy and development challenges in…
LMI Phase 2 English Language Support Project Forum: Strengthening Professional Collaboration Skills
What happens when outstanding government officials, researchers, and lecturers from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand from the Agriculture and Food Security, Environment and Water Security, and Connectivity LMI pillars come together for a three-day forum in Bangkok? A successful showcasing of presentation and leadership skills, energized networking, and the development of potential collaborative projects. Three participants…
News: Lower Mekong Countries, U.S. Boost Cooperation
Five lower Mekong countries and the United States are taking steps to boost cooperation in key areas to drive development in the region with the U.S. pledging further support to help address challenges faced by the region.Around 100 delegates from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the US met yesterday in Vientiane to discuss cooperation…
