GMS Contents

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) remains on a strong path towards economic growth and poverty reduction. The economic progress in the GMS is largely driven by the region’s rich natural resources and innovative societies. While these assets have sustained the increasing demand for food, energy, and commodities, unsustainable resource extraction and development are depleting the natural capital resulting in the decline and degradation of ecosystem services and environmental quality.

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Program is guided by the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) which was endorsed and adopted by the GMS Leaders at the 7th GMS Summit in September 2021.

The 6th Greater Mekong Subregion Environment Ministers’ Meeting consists of three days of events leading up to the official EMM-6, which will take place on Friday, 13 September 2024.

The 53rd GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting (TWG-53) was held on 23 April 2024 in Lijiang, People’s Republic of China (PRC). It was hosted by Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PRC, Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the People's Government of Lijiang City, and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), and co-organized by Lijiang Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and Network of International Culturalink Entities. It was attended by senior and mid-level officials representing the National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) of the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries (Cambodia, PRC, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand-online, and Viet Nam), MTCO, Asian Development Bank (ADB), development partners and organizations including the ASEAN China Centre and ASEAN Japan Centre.

This report shows how improving gender mainstreaming via the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) can bolster inclusivity and ensure women benefit equally from regional cooperation initiatives.

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program aims to broaden the gains of its interventions across three key pillars: community, connectivity, and competitiveness. In line with the GMS Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030), the GMS seeks to ensure equal access and participation in opportunities arising from the Program through the GMS Gender Strategy.

On 26 April 2024, the Kingdom of Cambodia hosted the second Mekong Dialogue on Labour Mobility, chaired by H.E. Mr. Hou Vudthy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia. This dialogue was conducted within the framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program and with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Its primary aim was to enhance cooperation on labor mobility through a multi-stakeholder approach among the Mekong countries and development partners