Regional Water Cooperation and Flood Preparedness Event Highlights Lower Mekong Initiative Progress
Bangkok, Thailand, August 1, 2014 –Bulbul and red avadavat dance from the shrubs and grass, as a gentle rain falls musically on the Golden Triangle. The mighty Mekong River slowly drifts down its banks, obliviously to the precipitation. In the distance, mountains brood with curling ominous clouds. These clouds indicate that the gentle rains currently…
Fourth Friends of the Lower Mekong Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement
Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOn August 9, 2014, the U.S. Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Cambodia, Japan, Lao PDR, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam, the Managing Director of the EU, and senior representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank joined the…
Seventh Ministerial Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative Joint Statement
Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOn August 9, 2014, the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the U.S. Secretary of State met in NayPyiTaw, Myanmar, for the Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting.Ministers affirmed LMI’s effectiveness during its first five years in addressing complex,…
The Lower Mekong Initiative Sets Course for 2015-2020
Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOn August 9, 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry led the United States’ delegation to the Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. LMI is the region’s only forum for addressing cross-border development and policy challenges facing the five Lower Mekong partner countries: Cambodia, Lao…
Launch of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Eminent and Expert Persons Group (EEPG)
Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOn August 9, 2014, Secretary John Kerry and the Foreign Ministers of the Lower Mekong partner countries launched the LMI Eminent and Expert Persons Group at the LMI Ministerial Meeting. As a first priority, the Ministers tasked the group with finding concrete ways to promote a sustainable future for the…
Remarks at the Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial Meeting
John KerrySecretary of StateMyanmar International Conference CenterNaypyitaw, MyanmarThank you very much, Mr. Minister, and again, we all thank you for your hospitality in convening us here and for your leadership. And we particularly are grateful for the efforts of your meeting through ASEAN as well as your efforts with the Lower Mekong Initiative. I also…
NEWS: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Participate in LMI Ministerial Meeting
Washington: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Myanmar and Australia this week.In Myanmar, he would participate in a series of meetings with ASEAN leaders, in Australia, he along with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, will participate in the US-Australia Consultations.On August 9, Kerry will arrive in Naypyitaw to meet Burmese government leaders and…
Press Statement: Secretary of State John Kerry’s Travel to Burma, Australia, Solomon Islands, and Hawaii
Jen PsakiDepartment SpokespersonWashington, DCAugust 2, 2014Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Naypyitaw, Burma; Sydney, Australia; Honiara, Solomon Islands; and Honolulu, Hawaii August 8-13, 2014.On August 9, Secretary Kerry will arrive in Naypyitaw to meet Burmese government leaders and to attend the U.S.-ASEAN, Lower Mekong Initiative, Friends of the Lower Mekong Initiative, ASEAN Regional…
Training Video Explains Gender Equity in the Context of Forests and Climate Change
The USAID-funded programs Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in Mekong (GREEN Mekong) and Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (USAID LEAF) have collaborated to produce a training video on gender equity.The video compliments training programs that target climate change and community forestry practitioners; it emphasizes gender equity as a key element for sustainable climate change initiatives…
Training Manual Launched to Improve Social Equity in Forests and Climate Change Context
The USAID-funded Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong (GREEN Mekong) program recently completed a seminal training publication entitled “Improving grassroots equity in the forests and climate change context”.The manual aims to develop the knowledge and capacities of grassroots facilitators to conduct meaningful participatory processes that can improve social equity and inclusion in forest-based…
USAID, USEPA, and UNFCCC Cooperate to Strengthen National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Systems in Asia
Experts from the USAID Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) program, in cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), trained country teams from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam on international best practices for sustainable national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory systems from July 21-23, 2014…
Mekong Partnership for the Environment Seeks Journalists to Participate in Workshops
The rapid pace of development leading up to the ASEAN Economic Community is creating opportunities for journalists to find innovative and important environmental, business, investment, health and culture stories. USAID-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) is hosting a series of workshops for Mekong-area journalists who report on social and environmental impacts of development projects…