Mekong - U.S. Partnership
NEWS: Lower Mekong Officials Meet to Support ASEAN Integration and Regional Cooperation
PHNOM PENH - Senior officials of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) gathered for a two-day meeting in Siem Reap on 6-7 November 2013 for the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting and an informal discussion on the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM). Delegates deliberated on the outcomes of the last LMI Ministerial…
Wildlife Trafficking Investigation Training Strengthens Thai Law Enforcement
From October 29-31, forty-three Thai law enforcement officers took part in a wildlife trafficking investigations training course in Bangkok, Thailand. Organized criminal syndicates profiting from illegal wildlife trade are becoming more sophisticated creating the need for advanced training on detecting wildlife trafficking.The training exposed officers, prosecutors and investigators to the methods commonly used by wildlife…
Developing Accounting Frameworks to Reduce Emissions and Strengthen Regional Forest Conservation
The USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) program recently held two technical meetings in Malaysia and Cambodia to discuss the development of national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) accounting frameworks.The meetings convened government, private sector and REDD+ representatives to discuss ways to monitor and account for forest emissions at the national…
King of Tigers Training Leads to Capture of Rosewood Poacher
On October 31, 2013, the recently graduated King of Tigers ranger team arrested a Cambodian rosewood poacher in Thailand’s Pang Sida National Park in eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border.The high value of Siamese Rosewood, fueled by demand from China, has seen a sharp increase in the number of poachers and the consequent number of…
NEWS: Lower Mekong Initiative Group Meets in Cambodia
Action programmes to deploy the U.S.’s 50 million USD support package pledged to Lower Mekong countries was discussed at the fifth meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Regional Working Group in Cambodia on November 6-7. Addressing the meeting, US Ambassador to ASEAN David Carden stressed that the Mekong River is a valuable natural resource for…
NEWS: The 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting
The 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting has opened in Siem Reap to define implementation steps following the U.S. commitment of 50 million dollars of infrastructure and food security aids to the region. Five Lower Mekong countries including Vietnam will benefit from the 2-year program. Speaking at the event, U.S. Ambassador David Carden hailed…
Cambodia Hosts Lower Mekong Initiative Meeting to Build Sustainable Regional Cooperation
The Royal Government of Cambodia hosted over 80 delegates from Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States in Siem Reap on November 6-7, 2013 for the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam…
Lower Mekong Initiative Fifth Regional Working Group Meeting Co-chairs’ Statement
The Royal Government of Cambodia hosted over 90 delegates from Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the United States in Siem Reap on November 6-7, 2013 for the 5th Lower Mekong Initiative Regional Working Group Meeting. The Lower Mekong Initiative is a multinational forum for addressing trans-boundary policy and development challenges in the pillar…
LMI Monthly News Feed – October 2013
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New Elite Team Promotes Institutionalizing of Anti-Wildlife Trafficking Course
From October 24 - November 1, members of the new “King of Tigers” elite ranger team assisted with the instruction of a PROTECT Tactics course in Thailand’s Eastern Forest Complex, a regional hot spot for wildlife crime.The USAID-funded ARREST program (Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking), coordinated the course with Thailand’s Department of National…
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Vietnam
From October 28 - November 1, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) program held a technical training on forest carbon stratification and estimating historical emissions in Da Lat, Vietnam. The hands-on training allowed 27 Vietnamese geospatial analysts and foresters to develop a preliminary reference level for Lam Dong Province to be approved by the…
USAID Supports the United Nations’ Campaign for Resilient Cities
The United Nations' Making Cities Resilient Campaign involves over 1,550 cities in over 94 countries committed to incorporating “resilience” into city management practices. In Bangkok on October 29-31, the USAID-funded Mekong Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities (M-BRACE) program participated in the Campaign’s steering committee meeting, co-hosted by the UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction…
