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…

News: U.S. Meets with Lower Mekong Countries in Laos

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times) -- 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 U.S. met yesterday in…

Remarks by Ambassador Clune at Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group

Landmark Hotel, VientianeVice Minister Bounkeut, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, and Ladies and Gentlemen:As you know, the Lower Mekong Initiative as created as a result of a meeting in 2009 between Secretary of State Clinton and the Foreign Ministers of the Lower Mekong countries as a vehicle for cooperation in facing shared challenges and opportunities in the…

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Hosted the 6th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting

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.During the opening session, Vice Foreign Minister Bounkeut Sangsomsak and United States Ambassador Daniel Clune discussed the…

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)…