CAP-3D: Preventing HIV among Transgendered Women in Laos

Vongphachanh "Khom" Temmelath lives in Vientiane, Laos. When she was in college, like other girls, Khom grew her hair long, wore fashionable clothes, and was an active member in campus social events. But Khom was no ordinary girl. She was born a man.Because of her identity, school authorities challenged Khom repeatedly. Eventually, the constant pressure…

World Bank Report Cites USAID’s Climate Study

A new World Bank report, “Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience” cited a study produced by USAID’s Mekong Adaptation and Reliance Program (Mekong-ARCC).  It is hoped that the inclusion of the study in the World Bank’s report will raise the study’s profile as a valuable resource that can…

Cambodian Cartoons Help to Fight Wildlife Crime

Wildlife Alliance, an NGO fighting wildlife crime in Cambodia, released two captivating animated Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to be aired throughout Cambodia.  The PSAs address the issue of the illegal wildlife consumption and encourage the public to not only stop consuming wildlife but also report wildlife crimes to the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT) hotline.…

The Health Policy Project, Technical Exchange on Gender & Health Moves into its Second Phase

 At the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Second Regional Working Group Meeting held in Vientiane in November 2011, representatives from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) requested technical assistance from development partners to strengthen the newly established Division for the Promotion of Women’s Advancement within the Ministry of Health, and support for the Ministry’s gender…

Remarks: Preserving the Mekong River System

Thank you again this week for all of your questions.  In some of my recent columns, I have focused on Cambodia’s democratic process and its upcoming parliamentary elections.  Last week, I accompanied approximately 35 large Cambodian companies to the United States to promote trade between our two great countries.  During this trip, I was in…

Women Push for Greater Role in Development of Mekong Region

Bangkok, Thailand – “I have never been around so many strong women from the Mekong region.  It’s really inspiring,” are the sentiments expressed by one of the women leaders who gathered in Bangkok, Thailand for IRI's Mekong Women’s Policy Dialogue.  Lead by Ambassador Paula Dobrianksy, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs,…

Training TB Champions in Monywa, Myanmar

Myanmar's National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) currently only covers 38 out of over 300 townships in the country for programmatic MDR-TB management.  This means that people who contract MDR-TB may need to travel to a different township to be diagnosed and treated.  In response, CAP-TB aims to strengthen the NTP's capacity by means of innovative grassroots structures like…

Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial Meetings to Accelerate Economic Growth in the Sub-region

The Foreign Ministers of the Lower Mekong Countries and the U.S. Secretary of State, met at the Sixth Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan on 1 July 2013.  The meeting was also attended for the first time by H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.The Ministers discussed the several challenges facing…

NEWS: Thai Push Development at Mekong Basin Talks

Bandar Seri Begawan {The Nation/ ANN} -- Thailand made another push for development projects in the Mekong River basin when foreign ministers of five countries in the region sat together with counterparts from dialogue partners.Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul yesterday and Sunday joined a series of meetings with counterparts from the basin as well as from…

NEWS: Vietnam Attends Lower Mekong Meetings

A Vietnamese delegation led by Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended the Ministerial Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) and the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting in Brunei on July 1.Under the theme “Opportunities and Challenges on Connectivity and Environment”, the LMI meeting discussed challenges to regional development and proposals for…

Press Release: Third Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting

On July 1, the Third Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam from 7:00 p.m. for approximately one hour.  From Japan, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting.   An overview of the meeting is as follows.After the meeting, a Joint Ministerial Statement was…

LMI Infrastructure Projects List

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