GMS in the News

An Asian Development Bank (ADB) article underscores that collective action helped contribute to combating the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and notes that expanding and deepening cross-border cooperation in Asia and the Pacific will help the region navigate newer economic challenges and the worsening climate crisis. The support that ADB and other development partners have extended to countries in managing the various impact from the pandemic has provided valuable lessons on tackling oncoming threats. 

The global community has gathered at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022, for the COP27 climate conference 

The COP, or Conference of the Parties, is the key decision-making forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change and its impacts.

The first webinar on the Water-Food-Energy (WFE) nexus was conducted on 24 March 2022 to introduce the Nexus concept and discuss the relevance of Nexus trade-offs – these define trade-offs between water, food, and energy security – for stakeholders in GMS countries. The latter confirmed that the Nexus is of high relevance for decision makers and planners in all GMS countries as traditional processes have occurred in sector silos often triggering substantial unintended cross-sector trade-offs.

The 26th GMS WGE Annual Meeting will discuss key challenges and possible solutions for the region in the light of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and in preparation on their pathway to the upcoming COP27 and COP15 in 2022.

In commemoration of 30 years of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) program, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) hosted a "Lecture on Dividends of Peace: Lessons from the Establishment and Early Years of the GMS Program" on 25 October 2022. Former ADB Programs Department (West) Director General Noritada Morita shared his account of the history, evolution, and contributions of the GMS program.

Digital skills are increasing in demand in Asia and the Pacific, with 75% of employers in four countries reporting a rise in demand for new hires with digital skills over the last 5 years, according to a new joint report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and LinkedIn.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million loan to improve the quality of public health services in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guizhou Province, and Shaanxi Province, in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).