GMS Contents

Date: 31 October – 2 November 2023
Hybrid event (Hanoi, Viet Nam and online)
To join the Policy Dialogue online, click here to register in advance. 

The rich natural environment of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has led to significant development to the economy and livelihoods, but the GMS countries, especially the Lower Mekong countries, are highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters.

Rural communities in the GMS (comprising 67 percent of the GMS population) are on the frontline of climate change and most vulnerable to losses and damages, and many lack the resources and capacity to deal with them.

The Greater Mekong Subregion has been undergoing diverse and rapid agricultural transformation over the last decades and contributing majorly to the global food supply.

The transportation sector in the GMS is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, which contribute to climate change and negatively impact human health and the local and global environment.

The GMS Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Program (CCESP) is hosting a consultation workshop in Cambodia and online to promote and generate support for the demonstration activities under the CCESP.

According to United Nations, Asia is responsible for more than 80 percent of plastic leakages into marine environments, with a large share originating from the GMS.

The GMS is undergoing a rapid economic growth and industrial development that resulted in a significant increase of air, water and soil pollution, and related risks like declining human health, disruptions in food chains, and inadequate quality of drinking water.

The GMS Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Program (CCESP) Inception Workshop was held online on 23–24 September 2021, which gathered more than 100 participants from the different GMS countries. The workshop was co-hosted and co-chaired by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The event formally marks the start of the implementation of ADB's TA 9915 or the GMS CCESP.

The 24th GMS Ministerial Conference (MC-24) was held on 4 November 2020 with the theme “Pave the way to a more integrated, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous GMS.”