GMS Contents


COVID-19 equipment donated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to to Viet Nam. Photo: IAEA Imagebank (CC BY 2.0)

How Universal Health Coverage in Thailand and Viet Nam Helped Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19

Strong commitments toward achieving universal health coverage (UHC) made by some developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), including Greater Mekong Subregion members Thailand and Viet Nam, prepared these countries to better manage the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.  


The Bago-Kyaikto expressway will link to the Yangon-Mandalay highway (in picture). Photo by ALwinDigital (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

$484 Million ADB Loan to Fund New GMS Expressway in Myanmar

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $483.8 million loan to build a 64-kilometer (km) expressway connecting the capital of Bago region and the township of Kyaikto in Mon state in Myanmar and support economic development along the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) East–West Economic Corridor.


GMS Economic Corridors Forum Looks to Accelerate Development in Economic Corridors

BANGKOK, THAILAND (28 October 2020) –The 11th The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) GMS Economic Corridors Forum was held today under the theme “Boosting Competitiveness, Connectivity, and Community in the GMS Economic Corridors through Focused and Integrated Spatial Development” with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Secretariat to the GMS Economic Program. The Forum serves as a key platform that crystalizes thinking and experiences from all six member countries on spatial development with focus on successes and potential areas for developments in economic corridor connectivity, regional economic integration, and safe and sustainable community-building. The meeting yielded valuable discussions that helped pave the way for strengthening the GMS cooperation for the future.


Join the ADB Southeast Asia Development Symposium 2020

The first Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) will be held online on 21 October 2020. SEADS aims to help crystallize thinking on critical development issues, and to support countries in Southeast Asia in successfully making the transition to becoming high-income, knowledge-based, and sustainable economies. This annual event will serve as a platform for countries to share insights, innovations, and experience on areas of practical policy relevance. 



Passengers at the Yangon Myanmar Railway Station in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo by ADB.

$30 Million ADB Loan to Scale Up Myanmar’s COVID-19 Health Response

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $30 million loan to boost Myanmar’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, especially in areas with a high minority population but inadequate access to health care and other essential services.


Project Readiness Improvement Trust Fund: Promoting Readiness of Climate Resilient Investments in Southeast Asia

ADB’s Multi-Donor Project Readiness Improvement Trust Fund (PRI Fund) has been supporting Southeast Asia to build a pipeline of climate resilient design- and procurement-ready infrastructure projects. Watch the video showing how the PRI Fund helps such investments become shovel ready, innovative and catalytic, featuring Lao PDR’s Sustainable Rural Infrastructure and Watershed Management Sector Project.


ADB to Help Improve Water Resources of River Basin in Yunnan, PRC

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan to clean up water resources and the environment of the Sayu River Basin in Yunnan Province, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Sayu River Basin is an important area for ecological protection in the upper Yangtze River Basin. It is the only centralized drinking water source in Zhaotong City in Yunnan.


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