GMS senior officials to meet in Hanoi

Ministers from six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries will meet in Hanoi on August 20 to discuss the GMS long-term strategy for the next 10 years.

According to a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on August 2, representatives from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as ADB officials will agree on plans to improve transport and commercial activities in the GMS. The plans aim to boost economic growth in the post-crisis era.

Since 1992, these six GMS countries have joined a comprehensive programme on various areas of economic co-operation, including transport, energy, telecommunications, and human resources development with support from ADB and other partners.

The General Director of the ADB’s Southeast Asian Department, Kunio Senga said in one generation, Mekong region countries have turned from mutual disagreement to economic co-operation and achieved significant results in poverty reduction. In the next decade, GMS countries will develop co-operative programmes into a new height, he said.

Mr Kunio expressed his hope that GMS will devise additional measures to improve infrastructure, and business environment, better organise trans-national transactions, and protect their social environment.

As a regional bank, ADB helps to promote co-operation among GMS countries through building roads, ports, railways, electric generation equipment, sanitation services and safe water according to international standards. ADB also supports the development of “soft areas”, including trade agreements and transport and measures to protect the environment, safe energy solutions, and efforts to deal with climate change.