An extraordinary meeting of the GMS Working Group on Human Resource Development (WGHRD-Ex) was held on 4 July 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was attended by representatives of the six GMS countries (Cambodia, PRC, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other development partners including GiZ, IOM, ILO, SEAMEO, and the ASEAN University Network (AUN) (list of participants in Appendix 1).

WGHRD-Ex was organized by ADB to seek the consensus of the six GMS countries on the findings and recommendations of the review of the GMS HRD Strategic Framework and Action Plan (SFAP) 2013-2017, and recommend new strategic directions for GMS cooperation in HRD beyond 2017. It aimed to (i) understand coordination efforts in the GMS within each of the HRD subgroups; (ii) obtain consensus regarding their future directions; and (iii) develop a plan of action for regional cooperation in health, education, labor and migration, and social development.