3rd Meeting of the GMS Urban Development Working Group

The 3rd Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Urban Development Working Group was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 5–6 December 2019. The objectives of the meeting were to

• Brief the Working Group on the salient features of the proposed GMS long-term strategic framework and present the RIF 2022 Second Progress Report and Update; 

• Discuss ADB’s ASEAN Smart City Initiative and financing opportunities in the GMS context; 

• Discuss ADB financing for sustainable blue economy, particularly regional cooperation towards reducing land-based pollution along the Mekong River; and

• Agree on the next steps, including the preparation of the next regional meeting.

Dr. Bunnarith Meng, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Government of Cambodia, chaired the meeting, with Mr. Antonio Ressano Garcia, Principal Urban Development Specialist, Urban Development and Water Division, Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank, as meeting co-chair. GMS UDWG representatives from Cambodia, PRC, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, and ADB participated in the event.