Partners

Arizona State University is a proud contributor to the Mekong-U.S. partnership through its support of Decision Theatre activities and hydropower environmental considerations through Future-H2O. In addition, ASU takes a lead role in the NexGen Mekong Young Scientists Program. These programs are conducted in conjunction with the U.S. State Department as well as the ASU board of Regents.  

The ASEAN Secretariat’s mission is to initiate, facilitate, and coordinate ASEAN stakeholder collaboration in realizing the purposes and principles of ASEAN as reflected in the ASEAN Charter. The ASEAN Secretariat is also a Friends of the Mekong observer.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) works to support regional unity in Asia and the Pacific, providing over $8 billion in financing to support Mekong-U.S. partnership projects that contribute to economic growth and a higher standard of living. ADB is committed to achieving increasingly innovative efforts to raise well-being of all 340 million people throughout the Mekong. ADB also a partner of  Friends of the Mekong, a multilateral institution to promote development amongst MUSP members in the region. 

Australia’s regional ASEAN and Mekong Program supports the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its development efforts to build a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Southeast Asia. It tackles cross-border challenges in Southeast Asia that cannot be addressed through country specific investments alone, including trade, connectivity, transboundary water management, human trafficking and safe migration. Australia is also a partner of Friends of the Mekong, a multilateral institution to promote development amongst MUSP members in the region. 

The Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) is a non-partisan research institute, promoting diplomatic exchange between government officials both domestically as well as throughout the Mekong. Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, CICP brings together national governments, scholars, non-profits, and private sector organizations to discuss issues of peace, democratic transparency, strategic issues, foreign policy, and economics. CICP focuses on engagement in political science, diplomacy, history, and socioeconomics allowing for the development of Cambodian and greater Mekong prospects.  

The East-West Center focuses on analysis of issues facing Mekong countries, uniting individuals to exchange ideas, develop skills, and create new policy to strengthen the region. The Center is a non-profit organization, in partnership with the U.S. government, with additional support provided by foundations, private sectors groups, and Mekong nation governments. Through The Mekong Matters for America series, the East West Center explores economic, security, education, and human resources between MUSP participants to foster greater development in the region through a stronger partnership with the United States.  

The European Union (EU) supports MUSP through its engagement in the Mekong sub-region. The EU is also partner of Friends of the Mekong, a multilateral institution to promote development amongst MUSP members in the region. 

The Friends of the Mekong (FOM) is a multinational effort intended to create integrated sub-regional cooperation between and among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. It is an important convening platform and mechanism to improve donor coordination in programming development assistance in the Mekong sub-region. Participating FOM members include Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the European Union, Asian Development Bank, the Mekong River Commission, and the World Bank. 

Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) is a nonprofit, liberal arts university in Ho Chi Minh City launched in 2016. As the first independent university of its kind in Vietnam, the university is founded on U.S.-Vietnam partnership and emerged from discussions hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Vietnam Program. FUV builds on the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP), which began in 1994 to teach market economics in Vietnam at a time of great transition. Through a five-year joint program, FUV’s Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management offers a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) for up to 14 early- to mid-career Lao civil servants.

India shares the Mekong-U.S. Partnership’s values of transparency and respect for sovereignty through its engagement in the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and has participated as an observer in the Friends of the Mekong. The MGC focuses on four key pillars of cooperation, tourism, culture, education, and transportation in an effort to strengthen ties between partner nations in the region.  

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a union compromised of governmental organizations, recruiting the expertise, resource, and outreach of its organizations and experts. With 18,000 members across 1,400 organizations, the diversity and experience of the IUCN grants it a significant position on among environmental groups, with the necessary resources to promote its safeguards.  

Japan is a major international partner in the region through the Mekong-Japan Cooperation framework. Japan is a partner in the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), in which it works alongside the United States to develop stronger energy infrastructure amongst MUSP participants. Japan is also partner of Friends of the Mekong, a multilateral institution to promote development amongst MUSP members in the region. 

Kenan Foundation’s Women Entrepreneurs (WE Inspire) empowers women to grow their business, enhance their economic stability, and engage in positive health-seeking behavior to enable women to support their families. WE Inspire aims to enable communities to create stable income and food systems and sustain the integrity of the river’s ecosystems upon which future prosperity depends.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an intergovernmental organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin, established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. The organization serves as a regional platform for water diplomacy and a knowledge hub of water resources management for the sustainable development of the region. The MRC is also a Friends of the Mekong observer.

The Michigan State University (MSU) is implementing a three-year cooperative agreement Mekong One Health Innovation Program (MOHIP) aiming to improve the health security in three Lower Mekong countries namely, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam through strengthening of their One Health (human-animal-environment nexus) system. The overarching goal of this project is to connect the lower Mekong countries and the United States One Health and health security researchers/practitioners and create a transnational health security network and leverage such network to promote the One Health approach.

The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) researches and provides policy and work recommendations in the areas of flood control, navigation, and environmental projects. Congress established the MRC on June 28, 1879, charging the MRC with the mission to develop plans to improve the condition of the Mississippi River, foster navigation, promote commerce, and prevent destructive floods. The Mississippi River Commission and the Mekong River Commission are partners in the Sister Rivers Exchange program to promote the sharing of experiences and best practices in water and river management.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a U.S. governmental agency responsible for space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. NASA was established in 1958 and succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) with an emphasis on peaceful, civilian-oriented space science. Among other projects, NASA and USAID launched the SERVIR Mekong hub in 2015 at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok, Thailand, to serve the countries of the Mekong River Basin.

New Zealand promotes its support of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership through its contributions to ecological projects. From 2021 to 2025, New Zealand is helping fund the Mekong River Commission in an effort to expand knowledge of environmental protections along the Mekong River. New Zealand claims its funding of the cooperative basin management promotes trust, stability, and sustainable growth in the region. New Zealand is also a partner of the Friends of the Mekong, a multilateral institution to promote development amongst MUSP members in the region.

Governments, non-profits, think tanks, and academic institutions all contribute to the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, helping it achieve higher development and security throughout the region. ASEAN, USAID, and other organizations increase funding to critical areas of importance in the area, supporting the progress made by the Mekong-U.S. Partnership.  

PACT is a major leader in impact investing throughout the world. PACT specializes in capacity development, public health, governance, environmental issues, alternative energy, women’s empowerment, and finance of small business throughout the world. Government departments, non-profit organizations, and private sectors groups all contribute to PACT. PACT uses these contributions to help fight HIV and AIDS, develop electrical infrastructure, and advocate for democracy around the world. PACT also uses contributions to alleviate poverty, protect natural resources, and fight for human rights protections.  

Through its New Southern Policy (NSP), the Republic of Korea works to diversify its economic relations and refocus its diplomatic efforts through a promotion of increased regional cooperation to increase investment in developmental infrastructure in the region. The Republic of Korea upgraded relations in 2021 with the Mekong nations to that of strategic partners, emphasizing the necessity in cooperation between the countries, especially pertaining to security issues raised by COVID-19. The ROK also pledged to work closer with the UN in the management of resources and ecological conservation in the region, offering to increase developmental aid to the Korea-Mekong cooperation fund.

Singapore has partnered with the United States to manage the U.S.-Singapore Third Country Training Program (TCTP) dedicated to training workers throughout the Mekong nations. In addition, Singapore works bilaterally with Mekong countries to promote trade and investment. Singapore helps increase development in Mekong states through its investment in the construction, services, hydropower, agriculture, and telecommunications industries, in addition to the training programs it participates in.  

The Stimson Center’s research programs are at the forefront of policy innovation and are strongly committed to excellence and independence. They apply research in numerous ways, from building tools, prototyping new technologies, and creating datasets, to working with local leaders and training government officials. Stimson organizes its work in cross-program research areas: Nonproliferation, Technology and Trade, Resources and Climate, International Order and Conflict, Asia, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Under the MUSP, The Stimson Center works on Mekong River Data tools like the Mekong Dam Monitor, manages the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker, and is an important partner in policy evaluation and development.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivers crucial engineering solutions to energize the U.S. economy and reduce disaster risk. Through a variety of projects, USACE promotes institutional knowledge exchange in the Mekong River basin, helps to provide Mekong partner countries with training and real-time forecasting tools for planning, and leads the Sister Rivers Exchange program to promote the sharing of best practices.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy and best available science.  USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) supports food security and inclusive economic growth by promoting rules and science based regional seed trade and innovation in the Mekong sub-region.  USDA/FAS strengthens capacity of public and private seed institutions with the aim to foster cooperation and harmonization of seed policies in partnership with American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), Asia and Pacific Seed Associations (APSA), USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS), and an array of relevant international; regional; and country organizations.

The U.S. Department of Interior International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP) advances the Department of Interior’s mission by providing government-to-government technical assistance and capacity building opportunities in other countries through workshops, training, and mentoring DOI-ITAP hosts the NexGen program, which provides educational and mentorship opportunities for early career professionals and scientists from the Mekong sub-region.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) trains prosecutors and law enforcement officers through capacity building programs with the aim of combatting illegal wildlife trafficking. The DOJ’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training has a Regional Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) for Counter Wildlife Trafficking, based in Vientiane, Laos. In February 2022, the U.S. Department of State and the DOJ’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) partnered with the Lao People’s Supreme Court to conduct workshops on digital evidence for 104 judges in three regions across Laos.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched an initiative to promote and expand intra-regional and east-west connectivity between the Mekong countries and South Asia.

The U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) is a key deliverable of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy that seeks to harness U.S. public and private sector expertise to collaborate with the 26 pilot cities of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) in order to meet the varied challenges of rapid urbanization and help improve the lives of people in the region. USASCP hosts the Water Smart Engagements (WiSE) program, which pairs U.S. and ASEAN cities, water districts, and utilities for collective capacity building and innovative technology familiarization.

The United Kingdom is a Friends of the Mekong observer.

The United States has partnered with nations throughout the Mekong region to promote multilateral cooperation in the region. Specifically, economic connectivity, sustainable management of water and natural resources and environmental protection, non-traditional security, and human resources development constitute four cooperation areas on which the Mekong-U.S. Partnership is founded. These areas represent common issues shared by all Mekong members, and increased partnership with the United States allows for an exchange of resources, human capital, and education across borders.  

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. The USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.  Through a custom-designed training course led by the USGS, a professional cohort of geologists and planners from Thailand’s Department of Groundwater Resources (DGR) learned new skills for managing groundwater data.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) promotes and demonstrates democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. The USAID leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.

The Water Smart Engagements (WiSE) program of the U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) paired five ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) cities with U.S. cities with the aim of increasing water security in partner cities, establishing long-term relationships between ASEAN/Mekong sub-regional and U.S. utilities, and increasing the exchange of services, goods, science, and technology.

The World Bank provides a wide array of financial products and technical assistance, and helps countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face. The World Bank is also a Friends of the Mekong observer.