Young Leaders from LMI Countries Visiting the U.S. Department of State

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Evan Ryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Stevenson and Lower Mekong Initiative Lead Officer Matt Yarrington met with a group of 17 young political leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam at the start of their program at…

Newsletter to Promote Grassroots Equity in the Lower Mekong Forests

USAID's Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program recently released the second issue of its bi-annual newsletter that showcases news and views on social equity in forest-based climate change mitigation policy and highlights equity resources from the region and beyond.The most recent issue shares updates on ongoing and upcoming program activities such as…

Refining Climate Adaptation and Resilience Approaches for Local Communities in the Lower Mekong

The USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change project organized a two-day meeting in Bangkok, Thailand to focus on its technical approach to supporting community climate change adaptation in the Lower Mekong Basin.  Participants, including International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund, and Asian Management and Development Institute, represented project sites in…

Fourth LMI English Seminar Closes in Vientiane

The U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Institute for International Affairs concluded the fourth of six planned seminars aimed at improving the English skills of Lao officials working on health, environment, and infrastructure issues.  Deputy Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy to the Lao P.D.R. Kenneth Kosakowski and Deputy Director General of…

ASEAN Negotiators Explore Ways for Liberalization of Trade in Services

Recognizing the importance of services trade liberalization for the successful formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015, the USAID’s ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (ACTI) project supported a workshop on Trade in Services Scheduling last month in Luang Prabang, Laos.Under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS), each ASEAN Member State (AMS)…

Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI)

Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), launched in 2009, is a multinational partnership among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States to create integrated sub-regional cooperation among the five Lower Mekong countries.  LMI serves as a platform to address complex, transnational development and policy challenges in the Lower Mekong sub-region.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjLLkc3o6Uw

U.S. Ambassador Daniel Clune Hosts Close Out Ceremony for USAID/RDMA’s Laos Program

U.S. Ambassador Daniel A. Clune welcomed Lao and U.S. officials and private sector representatives to his residence for a closing celebration for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Laos-U.S. International and ASEAN Integration Project.  Under the project, over 4,000 Lao officials and businesses benefited from training in intellectual property, agricultural and industrial goods standards, and…

USAID Supports Small and Medium Enterprise Growth in Lower Mekong Countries

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all business in ASEAN and over 50% of employment in the region.  Their contribution to GDP is generally significant, about 30-53 percent.   Moreover, they are a key entry point into the formal economy for women and youth.  ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment Project is…

USAID Continues Helping Laos on Developing Trade Remedy Legislation

On November 12-13, 2013, Lao Officials visited Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce Department of Foreign Trade for a study mission on Trade Remedies Procedures in order to gain perspective on drafting Lao legislation on trade remedies and to learn about the practical experience of how Thailand carries out trade-remedy investigations and applies trade remedies in practice.Laos…

Cambodia Hosts Lower Mekong Initiative Meeting to Build Sustainable Regional Cooperation

The Royal Government of Cambodia hosted over 80 delegates from Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States in Siem Reap on November 6-7, 2013 for the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting.  Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam…

Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Vietnam

From October 28 - November 1, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) program held a technical training on forest carbon stratification and estimating historical emissions in Da Lat, Vietnam. The hands-on training allowed 27 Vietnamese geospatial analysts and foresters to develop a preliminary reference level for Lam Dong Province to be approved by the…

Triple Bottom Line Training Helps Lower Mekong Countries Assess Value of Protected Areas

“Triple bottom line” valuation is an approach used to assess the full value of protected natural resource areas, like national parks, accounting for the economic, social, and environmental benefits they provide to society.  As a result, policymakers, park managers, and other stakeholders are better equipped to capture the full value provided by protected areas, including…