Developing transport infrastructure in tandem with policies and procedures for crossing borders and promoting trade has been central to efforts to interconnect the Greater Mekong Subregion countries.
Transport lies at the heart of Greater Mekong Subregion cooperation. The development of physical infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, in tandem with policies and procedures for crossing borders and developing trade along key routes, has been central to efforts to forge a truly interconnected subregion.
Physically connecting the countries of the subregion was one of the first initiatives of the GMS program when it was founded in 1992. The countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion have acknowledged that in order to cooperate in trade, tourism, and investment, and to realize the other benefits of the region, they must expand the road links and border crossings that connect them.
This is being done through the development of “economic corridors”, which are geographic areas, often along major highways, where a variety of development projects are undertaken to maximize their development benefits. This might include projects involving infrastructure, laws and regulations, market development, and the improvement of urban centers. Economic corridors bring a wide range of benefits, far beyond what single projects deliver in terms of development impact.
The three main GMS corridors—the East–West, North–South and Southern economic corridors—have improved the lives of millions of people in the Greater Mekong Subregion. These corridors are being enhanced with secondary roads that extend their benefits to nearby communities most in need, and other roads that link to strategic seaports in the subregion. The regulatory details of how people and goods can best move along these corridors are also currently being worked out.
Related
• GMS Transport Sector Strategy 2030
Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat.
This new strategy for transport development in the Greater Mekong Subregion consists of a strategic framework covering 2018–2030 and a set of performance indicators initially covering 2018–2022.
HA NOI, VIET NAM (12 December 2018) — The Asian Development Bank has approved a $188 million loan to improve and upgrade 198 kilometers of roads in Viet Nam’s mountainous northwest region, which has the highest poverty rate in the country.
A project in Yunnan Province helped bring the People’s Republic of China closer to its neighbors and drive local development.
Blessed with rich natural resources and a strategic location at the heart of the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has emerged from decades of turmoil and isolation to become one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia since 2011.
Japan and the five Southeast Asian countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion adopted the Tokyo Strategy 2018 at the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Tokyo on 9 October.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic will start building a section of National Road 11 that will make it easier to travel to northern Thailand.
The Twenty-Second Meeting of the GMS Subregional Transport Forum (STF-22) was held in Mandalay, Myanmar on 21–22 June 2018.
Foreign ministers from Japan and five Mekong nations this month identified areas of cooperation under a new strategy and reviewed the progress of joint projects in the East-West Economic Corridor and Southern Economic Corridor.
A comprehensive grievance redress mechanism used a wide range of tools, institutions, and approaches to resolve project complaints and mitigate potential issues.
This study discusses the complex Grievance Redress Mechanism process in the Central Mekong Delta Region Connectivity Project in Viet Nam and tackles involuntary resettlement and environmental safeguards issues.
