Deepening Development Partners' Engagement in the Greater Mekong Subregion Program

At the 7th Leaders’ Summit in 2021, the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) leaders approved the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS 2030) and mandated the GMS Program to become an open platform promoting enhanced participation by development partners, local governments, academia, and civil society. This would allow the GMS Program to draw upon a wider and deeper pool of financial, technical, and knowledge resources as it seeks to meet the region’s expanding development needs, including by entering new and complex areas, if necessary. The GMS Secretariat subsequently initiated a study to explore new approaches to strengthening development partnerships in the GMS Program based on comprehensive consultations with development partners and member countries. This report presents the findings and recommendations of the study for consideration of GMS senior officials.