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 an open, prosperous and inclusive 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 promotes interests regarding the development of Cambodia through its attention to academic institutions. 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. 

  The FOM is carried out through two main tracks:    

1. Donor Dialogue among partner country development agencies and multilateral development institutions in order to: expand information sharing; strengthen partner country ownership of programs; and support emerging donors in the Mekong region.   

2. Annual Policy Dialogue between foreign affairs ministries on non-traditional security issues, such as the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy Dialogue, and Mekong River Commission technical capacity.   

Activities under FOM promote broad cooperation and coordination with donors, international financial institutions, and multilateral organizations to increase efficiency, identify and meet programmatic and resources gaps, and avoid redundancy and overlapping activities.  

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.

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. Further funding will be invested in specific industries throughout the Mekong, to include culture and tourism, human resource development, rural development, infrastructure, ICT, environment and nontraditional security. 

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. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management. USDA, in partnership with American Seed Trade and Asia and Pacific Seed Associations, held the Lower Mekong Regional Seed Workshop in June 2021. The workshop provided updates on progress and challenges in seed trade in the Mekong countries focusing on capacities, and rules-and science-based policy environments with the aim to foster cooperation and harmonization of seed policies.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) aims to deliver the world’s leading transportation system, serving the American people and economy through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods. DOT presented preliminary findings of an initiative in a report to promote and expand intra-regional and east-west connectivity between the Mekong countries and South Asia.

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 Service (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 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.