Mekong - U.S. Partnership
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts public participation workshop in Laos
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in collaboration with the Government of Laos Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), invited participants to attend a workshop delivered by experts from the USACE Institute for Water Resources on public participation, collaboration and conflict transformation in Vientiane, February 23 – 25, 2016. The workshop focused on the…
5 Things You Should Know About the U.S.-ASEAN Partnership
http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2016/02/01/ahead-us-asean-summit-5-things-you-should-know-about-us-asean-partnership President Barack Obama has made our relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and engagement with Southeast Asia a key priority under his Rebalance strategy. For this reason he has invited his ASEAN counterparts to the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California on February 15th and 16th for a special Summit. This…
Lower Mekong Initative Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange
Lower Mekong River Nations Participate in Disaster Relief Exercise and Exchange in Laos By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin P. Bell Vientiane, Laos PDR (Sept. 25, 2015) – The scenario is a familiar one in Southeast Asia, a typhoon is sweeping across the area causing massive flooding, particularly along the Mekong River and its tributaries in…
Lower Mekong Civil Society Organizations Improve Equitable Facilitation Skills
Nineteen representatives from civil society organizations working with local communities on forests and climate change issues in the Lower Mekong region gathered this week in Bangkok for a third capacity development workshop as part of a series of training events organized by the USAID Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong program.Participants practiced skills…
USAID LEAF Partners with Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province to Launch Climate Change Action Plan
Vietnam's Lam Dong provincial government has made a significant commitment for action on climate change by launching the Lam Dong Provincial Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) Action Plan (PRAP). The PRAP is one of the first of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, and is the result of a three-year collaborative process…
USAID’s PFAN-Asia Supports Renewable Energy Investment Forum in Thailand
USAID’s Private Financing Advisory Network-Asia (USAID PFAN-Asia) had an exhibit at the Investment Policies and Techniques for Renewable Energy Projects 2015 conference March 23 in Bangkok. The conference attracted nearly 1,000 participants, including senior-level industry executives, engineers, investors and government officials.The event was co-organized by the Green Network Forum by the Technology Media Co. Ltd…
New Report Compares Payments for Environmental Services in Greater Mekong Region
With support from USAID, the Center for International Forestry Research recently published the “Regional Synthesis of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) in the Greater Mekong Region.” The report combined studies on PES schemes in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to compare the various schemes and assess their current statuses, implementation processes and lessons learned.The paper…
USAID MPE and PFAN-Asia Make the Business Case for Environmental, Social and Governance Principles
With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA), the Mekong Partnership for the Environment and Private Financing Advisory Network (USAID PFAN-Asia) brought together over 40 non-government organizations, civil society and private sector representatives in the Mekong region to learn about emerging international trends in sustainable investment and environmental,…
USAID LEAD and VFD Programs Conduct Training to Support Green Growth Planning in Thanh Hoa Vietnam
From March 18 to 19 in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, the USAID LEAD and USAID-funded Vietnam Forest and Deltas programs provided training for 15 representatives from provincial departments and academies on the “Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Analysis to Support Deriving Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets.” Attendees learned MACC concepts, approaches and analysis data needs.They also…
USAID Launches Initiative to Further Green Growth in Chiang Mai
The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development (USAID LEAD) program launched the Hotel Energy Efficiency Initiative in Chiang Mai, Thailand on March 13. A collaboration between USAID LEAD and the Chiang Mai Municipality, it improves energy efficiency in Thailand’s hospitality sector and helps develop and promote the deployment of greenhouse gas protocols and tools throughout the…
Thuan Hoa Villagers to Pilot Adaptation Measures to Climate Change
At a recent ceremony organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project and with partners Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI) and the Vietnam Red Cross, over 300 households in Thuan Hoa commune in Vietnam’s Kien Giang Province received tools to help them adapt…
Improved Women’s Awareness of Climate Change Found in Thailand and Vietnam
The USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project surveyed climate change awareness among 290 women in rural communities in Thailand (Chiang Rai and Sakon Nakhon) and Vietnam (Kien Giang) before and after conducting climate change awareness raising activities.Among the results were that 85 percent of women in target communities were…
