ASEAN Education Officials Approve the Signature LMI Project COMET

The ASEAN Senior Officials on Education (SOM-ED) endorsed the USAID-managed Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training (COMET) program after USAID gave a presentation on the project during their regular meeting on April 24 in Hanoi. As the first LMI signature project to be endorsed by ASEAN, this support will further LMI-ASEAN cooperation on shared…

Lower Mekong Civil Society Organizations Improve Equitable Facilitation Skills

Nineteen representatives from civil society organizations working with local communities on forests and climate change issues in the Lower Mekong region gathered this week in Bangkok for a third capacity development workshop as part of a series of training events organized by the USAID Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong program.Participants practiced skills…

New Report Compares Payments for Environmental Services in Greater Mekong Region

With support from USAID, the Center for International Forestry Research recently published the “Regional Synthesis of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) in the Greater Mekong Region.” The report combined studies on PES schemes in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to compare the various schemes and assess their current statuses, implementation processes and lessons learned.The paper…

USAID MPE and PFAN-Asia Make the Business Case for Environmental, Social and Governance Principles

With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA), the Mekong Partnership for the Environment and Private Financing Advisory Network (USAID PFAN-Asia) brought together over 40 non-government organizations, civil society and private sector representatives in the Mekong region to learn about emerging international trends in sustainable investment and environmental,…

USAID Mekong ARCC to Improve Water Security and Management for Women of Khammouane Villages

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project is working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Lao PDR and local authorities to improve water storage and distribution for villages in Khammouane Province, Lao PDR.Water engineers in villages in Done Keo and other target villages…

USAID Grants Support Lower Mekong Civil Society Organizations to Improve Forest Equity

This month, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program (USAID GREEN Mekong) released a second round of awards under its Challenge Fund to civil society organizations from the Lower Mekong region. The grants provide winners with the opportunity to advance the promotion of equitable and inclusive forest…

USAID Introduces Innovative Teaching Method for Climate Change Curriculum

Participants from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam gathered in Bangkok from February 2 to 6 to test a role play training activity focused on the Low Emission Land Use Planning module of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forest (USAID LEAF) climate change curriculum.Participants placed themselves in roles from communities…

Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong

The Friends of the Lower Mekong, a donor coordination group, came together with the countries of the Lower Mekong to discuss the connection between water resources, energy needs and food security.U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon and Ambassador David Thorne were representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),…

Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting in Bangkok

Water, energy and food security challenges, as well as women’s empowerment and the promotion of gender equality, are among major issues raised for discussion at the Seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Regional Working Group Meeting.The meeting took place at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok on 29 – 30 January 2015, and it was…

Extraordinary Friends of the Lower Mekong: Conference on Mekong Sustainability Summary of Joint Discussion

Extraordinary Friends of the Lower Mekong Conference on Mekong SustainabilitySummary of Joint DiscussionOn February 2-3, 2015, the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) – representatives of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, the United States, the Asian Development Bank, Australia, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Sweden, World…

FACT SHEET: Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong

Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCOn February 2, Counselor Tom Shannon and Senior Advisor to the Secretary Ambassador David Thorne led a U.S. delegation to the Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong in Pakse, Laos. This is the first time the Friends of the Lower Mekong, a donor coordination group, have come together…

Thailand Hosts Regional Meeting on Lower Mekong Initiative

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting the 7th Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Regional Working Group Meeting to discuss cooperation in several areas, aiming at moving toward the ASEAN integration at year-end.Outcomes of the two-day meeting hosted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be used to review a draft of the Master Plan of Action…