Mekong Partnership for the Environment Launches Local Grants Program

The USAID-funded Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) has launched a new grants program to help local organizations strengthen their work on ensuring responsible development in the Mekong region.  From the release of its Annual Program Statement (APS) on August 29, MPE expects to increase civil society’s capacity to take part in decisions surrounding the development of…

USAID Announces Regional Research Collaboration Awardees

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID),   National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced 26 new research projects in Asia funded through the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program a joint initiative designed to foster collaborative global research.  Through this competitive grants program, USAID directly supports…

Cambodia Increases Climate Resilience of Community Water Supply Ponds with Support from USAID Adapt Asia-Pacific

With support from USAID Adapt Asia-Pacific, Cambodia’s Ministry of Rural Development recently helped 10 rural villages in Banteay Meanchey province to improve the resilience of their vital fresh water supply. Past events have demonstrated that communities located on the Tonle Sap flood plain are particularly vulnerable to the increased flooding predicted to occur as a…

Supporting Women Entrepreneurs Through WECREATE Centers

When the U.S. Department of State announced the up-coming launch of a WECREATE Center in the Lower Mekong sub-region this past weekend, it underscored the State Department’s enduring commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs everywhere, particularly in developing countries.  The development of WECREATE Centers is one of the many ways the Department is supporting the goals…

NEWS: Sustainable Future for the Mekong Basin

On the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the seventh Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial Meeting and the fourth meeting of Friends of Lower Mekong Meeting were took place under the chairmanship maintenance of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar and United States Secretary of State. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affair Minister Pham Binh Minh…

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…

NEWS: Thailand Meets with Mekong Neighbors to Bolster Cooperation

NAYPYIDAW, 10 August 2014 (NNT) – The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on neighboring countries within the Lower Mekong River Basin to step up their cooperation towards regional development during the 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.In his capacity as Acting Foreign Minister of Thailand, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow attended the…

NEWS: Vietnam Pledges to Manage Mekong River Water Resources Sustainably

(VOV) – Vietnam attaches high importance to and prioritizes efforts to develop and use water resources of the Mekong River Basin effectively and sustainably in the context of global climate change, affirmed Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.The deputy PM made the statement at the seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting and the fourth…

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…