United States and Laos Strengthen Partnership with LMI Road Management Workshop

The United States is cooperating with Singapore and Laos to host a Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Road Management Workshop in Vientiane, from May 6 to 10.  On May 6, Lao Vice Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr. Bunchanh Sinthavong, US Ambassador Karen B. Stewart and Singaporean Ambassador Kang Siew Kheng formally opened the workshop. …

NEWS: Carbon Stock Assessment and Emissions Inventory in Asian Mangroves: Field Training for Scientists and Government Agency Staff

Trang, Thailand - Forested wetlands - including mangroves, peat swamps, cypress domes, and related ecosystems - are thought to hold some of the highest carbon densities among terrestrial (soil and vegetation) systems. In the Indo-Pacific region, mangroves cover as much as 6.8 million hectares, or approximately 40 percent of world's total, and it is estimated…

NEWS: US-ASEAN to Enhance Partnership, Discuss Regional Issues

WASHINGTON D.C. - The US and the 10-members of the Association for South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussed a wide range of pressing regional issues during its just concluded annual dialogue here, a joint statement said.Noting that the annual dialogue is a reflection of the strong and enduring relationship between ASEAN and the US, the…

NEWS: Vietnam Joins ASEAN-US Dialogue

WASHINGTON D.C. - A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh attended the 26th ASEAN-US Dialogue in Washington on May 2-3, which focused on orientations and measures to promote the two sides’ cooperation.At the meeting, the two sides highly valued positive progress of the bilateral cooperation in different areas such as politics-security, economics,…

NEWS: U.S. and Vietnam Cooperate in Promoting Lower Mekong Initiative

 (VOV) -Vietnam and the U.S. are set to promote the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) at a seminar jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy and the U.S. Department of State in Washington on May 1.In his speech, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Vinh highlighted LMI contributions to boosting the relations between the U.S.…

NEWS: U.S. to Boost Cooperation under Lower Mekong Initiative

The U.S. will give priority to promoting cooperation with the Lower Mekong basin through its continued efforts to boost the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), a US official said.U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Joseph Yun made the statement at a seminar that discussed measures to expand cooperation under the LMI framework…

NEWS: Investors Deem PPP Format Still Risky

HO CHI MINH CITY – Investors think they will face more risks from the public-private partnership (PPP) format in Vietnam than in other countries, said Bill Magennis, lawyer at Allens Pte Ltd.Therefore, Vietnam should minimize the risks to investors through law amendments, said Magennis at a workshop on PPP held in HCMC on Thursday.The lawyer…

NEWS: U.S. Offers US$53 Million for Lower Mekong Projects

HO CHI MINH CITY - This was informed on Thursday at the 4th Regional Working Group Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) held by LMI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in HCMC. LMI was formed in 2009 on the initiative of the U.S. with six members including the U.S. and five countries in…

NEWS: Lower Mekong Initiative Meeting Wraps Up

HO CHI MINH CITY - The fourth Regional Working Group Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), co-hosted by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State, concluded in Ho Chi Minh City on April 26.During the two-day event, participants agreed to strengthen links between LMI and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI)…

ASEAN Member States Work Together to Tackle Deforestation

From April 9-10, 2013 the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF) program and the ASEAN Regional Knowledge Network on Forest and Climate Change (ARKN-FCC) held a workshop in Bangkok on “Identifying and Addressing Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation”.  Participants from seven ASEAN Member States and Papua New Guinea developed a framework for a…

NEWS: Mekong Countries Promote Sustainability

HO CHI MINH CITY - A prosperous and environmentally sustainable Mekong region will help build a strong and united ASEAN and contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia and the world.The statement was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son at a meeting of the Lower Mekong countries held in HCM…

NEWS: Fin Free Blue List Earth Day Launch

BANGKOK - As part of global Earth Day initiatives, Thai celebrities, students, conservationists, and leading hospitality industry representatives gathered to launch a Blue List promoting hotels in Thailand that are 100 per cent shark fin free.“Many hotels are taking shark fin off their menus out of concern for endangered shark populations threatened by overfishing. They…