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 Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) will host the 25th GMS Ministerial Conference (MC-25) on 6-8 December 2022 in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. The MC-25 will be attended by the Ministers and senior officials of the GMS countries, development partners, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders.

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.

The Asian Development Bank and the Nossal Institute for Global Health  hosted a virtual meeting titled,Regional Meeting: How to Successfully Operationalize One Health for a Green Recovery in the Greater Mekong Subregion?” on 7 April 2022 to present practical One Health actions in the context of the GMS green recovery agenda, discuss how to incentivize cross-sectoral support, and guide operational planning for future projects. This meeting, which was conducted under TA 9571-REG: Strengthening Regional Health Cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion, is a follow up to the previous meeting held on 3 June 2021, One Health in the GMS: Where are We Now and What Next?

The 19th Annual Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Agriculture (WGA) will feature the theme "Adaptation of Greater Mekong Subregion Agriculture in the context of Climate Change, and the Water-Food-Energy (WFE) Nexus." There is increasing evidence of substantial trade-offs among water, food, and energy sectors in the GMS and climate change is exacerbating such trade-offs.

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.

The workshop “Climate-smart Agriculture in the context of the Water-Food-Energy Nexus” will be held on 24 March 2022, supported by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (TA 9916). TA 9916 aims to contribute to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) assistance on the Water-Food-Energy Nexus and assist in promoting cooperation across the GMS in efforts to reduce Nexus trade-offs.

The workshop “COVID-19 Food Security Response and Recovery Actions in Cambodia” was held virtually on 3 March 2022. It was led by Cambodia’s national coordinator of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Agriculture (WGA), and attended by about 50 representatives from the government, development partners and the private sector. The workshop discussed priority actions for agriculture and food security in accelerating Cambodia’s response and recovery from COVID-19.