Vietnam Hosts First National Wildlife Heroes Awards

HANOI - On April 22nd, the Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program partner, Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), hosted Vietnam’s first national awards ceremony to honor five excellent individuals for their outstanding contributions to wildlife protection.  The Outstanding Service in Wildlife Protection Awards Ceremony recognized three law enforcement officials and two journalists for…

Joint Statement of LMI Third Regional Working Group Meeting: Phuket, Thailand (Sept 27-28, 2012)

On 27-28 September 2012, senior representatives of the Lower Mekong Basin countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the United States gathered in Phuket, Thailand, for the Third Regional Working Group Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI).  Members of the six delegations reviewed progress on the LMI Plan of Action and…

PRESS RELEASE: Lower Mekong Initiative Convenes Infrastructure Best Practices Exchange

HANOI - The U.S. Departments of State and Commerce and Vietnam Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport in collaboration with the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council hosted a Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Infrastructure Best Practices Exchange in Hanoi on January 14-15, 2013. The LMI Infrastructure Best Practices Exchange brought together senior U.S. and regional government officials and…

Photo: President Barack Obama in a Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Group Photo

President Barack Obama participates in a Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) group photo at the ASEAN Summit at Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov 20, 2012.  Pictured, from left: Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra; Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia: President Barack Obama; President Thein Sein of Burma; and…

Joint Press Statement between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand and President Barack Obama of the United States of America met today at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, on the eve of the anniversary of 180 years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the United States of America to chart the way for a deeper bilateral strategic partnership…

Press Release: Lower Mekong Initiative Third Regional Working Group Meeting in Phuket Consolidates New Elements and Encourages Medium-term Planning for LMI Countries

Thailand hosted delegations from all LMI countries for the September 27-28 Regional Working Group meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). The senior-level delegations comprised diplomats and officials from the participating nations, including representatives of such ministries/departments as foreign affairs, education, environment, public health, development, public works and transport, economic affairs, agriculture, labor, and energy.…

The U.S. Embassy Vientiane Launched a Program to Train Officials from All These Countries in English Language Skills

VIENTIANE - The Lower Mekong Initiative is a program to bring the nations that share the Mekong River (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam) together to jointly confront issues such as education, health, environment, and infrastructure. In February 2012, the U.S. Embassy launched a program to train officials from all these countries in English language skills,…

Press Releases: The 5th Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting

On 13 July 2012, Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Meeting, on the sidelines of the 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in…

Lower Mekong Initiative Joint Statement on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Following is the text of a joint statement issued for the second Lower Mekong Ministerial meeting on July 13, 2012, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia:We, as Lower Mekong Initiative ministers and senior officials, recognize that the economic, social, and political progress of our region can only be achieved with consistent efforts to advance gender equality and…

Fact Sheet: Lower Mekong Initiative Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy Dialogue

On July 12-13, the U.S. Government and the Royal Government of Cambodia convened the first-ever Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy Dialogue as part of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the LMI with the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in 2009 to enhance cooperation among the…

Fact Sheet: Asia-Pacific Strategic Engagement Initiative

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the Asia-Pacific Strategic Engagement Initiative (APSEI) on July 12 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. APSEI is a new integrated assistance framework that engages on current pressing bilateral and transnational issues, and positions the United States and its partners to sustain regional stability and support an inclusive regional economy in…

Remarks from the Fifth Lower Mekong Initiative Ministerial Meeting

SECRETARY CLINTON: (In progress.) The United States is proud of the work we are doing together in the LMI. It is a key component of our ongoing cooperation with ASEAN and efforts to spur regional integration and close the development gap. It’s also a key component of our larger strategy in Asia, where we are working…