GMS in the News

26th Regional Power Trade Coordination Committee Meeting Held to Further Cooperation and Enhance Power Trade in the GMS

The 26th Regional Power Trade Coordination Committee Meeting was held to further cooperation and enhance power trade among members of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on 26-27 November in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Hosted by Viet Nam's Electricity Regulatory Authority, participants included energy officials from GMS member countries and representatives of ADB and development partners. 

Mekong Institute’s Capacity Building Activities Continue to Expand Knowledge in the GMS

In 2019, the Mekong Institute conducted 112 capacity building activities that benefitted 3,270 participants from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries in the areas of agricultural commercialization, trade and investment facilitation, and innovation technology and communication. Furthermore, Mekong Institute alumni held 155 trainings and workshops, expanding knowledge sharing to an additional 9,031 beneficiaries across Cambodia, People’s Republic of China (PRC), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

GMS Working Group on Health Cooperation Emphasizes Effective Implementation of the GMS Health Cooperation Strategy 2019-2023

The Third Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Health Cooperation, jointly organized by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was held on 12–13 December in Bangkok, Thailand.

ADB Initiates Coronavirus Response

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today approved $2 million in new funding to support efforts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

The funds will supplement an ongoing regional technical assistance and strengthen response capacity in Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

ADB is helping Lao PDR reduce economic losses resulting from floods and droughts. The project will pair upgrades in water management infrastructure with community-based disaster risk management and enhanced regional forecasting to improve disaster preparedness in the GMS. Photo by ADB. 

New Irrigation Systems and Information are Helping Revive Livelihoods in Lao PDR

Orlathai Ferchanthala dreams of turning her family’s subsistence farm into a commercial business growing rice and a range of cash crops, raising livestock, and outfitted with a modern irrigation system.

“The soil here is suitable for growing various crops, and the grass is perfect for raising cattle,” said Ferchanthala, a 35-year-old mother of three living in a rural community in southern Vientiane. “We need irrigation schemes to bring water into our farming areas in the dry season and proper dikes to protect us from floods in the rainy season.”

Director of Infrastructure Finance Division of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department Mr. Jackie B. Surtani (third from left) and GED Executive Director Ms. Yupapin Wangviwat (third from right), along with officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Bangkok Bank PCL, Siam Commercial Bank PCL, and Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) PCL, during the signing ceremony on January 22. Photo by ADB.

ADB Boosts Financing for Solar Power Plant in Viet Nam

A $37.8 million loan deal between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and TTC Energy Development Investment Joint Stock Company (TTC Energy) will provide TTC Energy with long-term financing to develop and operate a 50-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant. The solar power plant and its associated facilities will be built in Tay Ninh Province in Viet Nam, and serve the electricity demand of residents and businesses of Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding areas. This will help reduce 29,760 tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. 

Don Sahong Dam was built by Malaysia’s Mega First Corporation Berhad and EDL-Generation Public Company on the Mekong River in southern Champasak province in Lao PDR. Photo from Khmer Times.

Lao PDR Connects 195 MW Electricity to Cambodia’s National Grid

Tests have been completed on four electricity generators that will link 195 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Don Sahong Dam in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) to Cambodia’s national grid.

Infographic from the World Health Organization (WHO). Visit the WHO page for more downloadable information. 

Novel Coronavirus

The Secretariat of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Health Cooperation is closely monitoring the situation surrounding the novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV). A growing number of countries have reported confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV. 

Border gate between Lao PDR and Viet Nam in Lao Bao (ADB Photo)

Lao PDR, Viet Nam Plan to Open New International Borders

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Viet Nam plan to upgrade two local border crossing points to international border crossings this year. The plan was announced during the 29th annual border meeting of the two neighboring countries on 26 December 2019 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. 

The Dak Ta-Ok (Lao PDR)–Nam Giang (Viet Nam) between Xekong (Lao PDR) and Quang Nam (Viet Nam) provinces will be the first international crossing point in Xekong. The neighboring countries plan to open this upgraded international border crossing in the first quarter of 2020.

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