Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Tools to Combat Wildlife Trafficking Showcased at Regional Workshop
On November 22, 2013, international and government organizations met in Bangkok for the 15th Meeting of Asian Partners Forum on Combating Environmental Crime (ARPEC). The regional forum provides a platform for stakeholders to showcase new efforts and further develop strategic partnerships to combat environmental crime, including the trafficking of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), hazardous materials,…
Wildlife Trafficking Awareness Campaign Continues Public Engagement
From November 21 through 22, the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST) program held an iTHINK public outreach event at a large shopping center in Bangkok, Thailand.iTHINK is a wildlife consumption reduction campaign which utilizes Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), influential, well know members of society, to encourage the public to abstain from…
Myanmar Commercial Law Ready to be Improved to Support Sustained Economic Growth
The Attorney General, the Union of Myanmar, emphasized the importance of commercial law development for Myanmar’s development plans at the opening of the commercial law development workshop hosted by USAID on commercial law development.Conducted on November 20-21, the workshop demonstrated how commercial law leads to inclusive and sustained economic growth. By the end of the…
Sustainable Mekong Factsheet
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ASEAN’s Chief Justices Responds to Environmental Threats
From November 15-18, 2013, the Third Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chief Justices Roundtable on the Environment met in Bangkok, Thailand providing an opportunity for the region’s Chief Justices and senior judiciary to come together and share experiences and consider ways they can collaborate to enforce and even shape effective environmental law for the…
Green Growth for the Mekong
By William E. Todd, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of CambodiaMy sincere appreciation goes out to our Cambodian readership for your thoughtful questions and ideas that help maintain our focus on important issues. Before I answer this week’s question, I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of the Philippines, who…
Tackling Malaria and Other Transboundary Challenges in the Lower Mekong through Regional Cooperation
By Greg Beck, Deputy Assistant Administrator, AsiaMore than 60 million people live in the lower Mekong River basin, a region of the world currently struggling with drug-resistant malaria. While the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs) for treatment of malaria has helped to greatly reduce its prevalence over the past decade, a high percentage of malaria cases are…
Thai Students Develop Software Products to Address Key Development Challenges in Asia
Microsoft has teamed up in Thailand with USAID for the Imagine Cup 2014, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious technology development competitions. One of the categories of the Imagine Cup, the World Citizen Contest, challenges students to develop software products that can directly impact people’s lives. USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia helped define…
USAID Supports Small and Medium Enterprise Growth in Lower Mekong Countries
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all business in ASEAN and over 50% of employment in the region. Their contribution to GDP is generally significant, about 30-53 percent. Moreover, they are a key entry point into the formal economy for women and youth. ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment Project is…
Self-certification of Origin Workshop in Yangon Myanmar
Today most ASEAN countries require that the origin (place of manufacture or creation) of a good, which is crucial for determining whether lower tariffs in a free trade agreement apply, must be certified by a government body or business association. This can be a cumbersome process. Under self-certification, the exporter itself would certify the origin of…
USAID Continues Helping Laos on Developing Trade Remedy Legislation
On November 12-13, 2013, Lao Officials visited Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce Department of Foreign Trade for a study mission on Trade Remedies Procedures in order to gain perspective on drafting Lao legislation on trade remedies and to learn about the practical experience of how Thailand carries out trade-remedy investigations and applies trade remedies in practice.Laos…
Yangon Welcomes Self-certification of Origin to Support Its Trade Facilitation
ASEAN plans to establish a region-wide system or self-certification by 2015 to facilitate and reduce the cost of doing business in ASEAN. As in any preferential trading area, a product must first receive origin certification before it can claim any trade privileges. Normally such certificate will be issued by a government agency or an authorized…
