GMS Contents

The First Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Task Force on Gender convened virtually on 5 June 2025, organized by the GMS Program Secretariat. Mr. Asadullah Sumbal of the GMS Secretariat delivered opening remarks on behalf of Mr. Alfredo Perdiguero, Head of the GMS Secretariat, underscoring the GMS Program’s strong commitment to advancing gender equality and social inclusion as core elements of regional cooperation.

The workshop on the Model Law of Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) and the First Meeting of GMS Working Group on Trade and Investment were held on 28-29 May 2025 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The workshop provided GMS government officials with core principles and business impacts of the MLETR.

On 29 May 2025, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MOLSW) of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) hosted the Third Mekong Dialogue on Labor Mobility in Luang Prabang City, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). His Excellency Phongsaysack Inthalath, Deputy Minister of MOLSW, Lao PDR, emphasized in his keynote address that putting a primer on migration initiatives leads to dignity and opportunity for all.

10-12 June 2025

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok | Hybrid (in-person and online via Zoom)

Policymakers, agribusinesses, tech innovators, and development partners from across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and beyond will gather to co-create and scale digital innovations for sustainable agrifood transformation.

Key topics:

• Cross-border digital traceability and certification

• Climate-smart agriculture and smart farming

• Digital finance and fintech for smallholders

• E-commerce and logistics innovations

TA-10466-REG: Strengthening Regional Health Cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion - Phase 2

Inception Meeting, 2 April 2025, ADB HQ, Manila

The study tour and masterclass provided the participants with in-depth understanding and practical knowledge of (i) key energy transition tasks and tools, (ii) technologies and applications to be utilized for renewable energy integration and expansion, (iii) policy frameworks to support energy transition, and (iv) power market development to support energy transition including interstate trades.

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Joint Transport and Customs Sub-Committee meeting was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 10-11 September 2024 to promote the Early Harvest (EH) Implementation of the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA).

The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (GMS Program) will hold a Development Partners’ Meeting (DPM) in Kunming, People’s Republic of China (PRC) and via videoconferencing on 5 November 2024, ahead of the 8th GMS Leaders’ Summit on 6-7 November 2024.

Since 2020, the coronavirus disease pandemic have caused various constraints on global supply chains and logistics, significantly affecting the supply of goods, their prices, and people’s livelihoods. The key will be how to secure supply chains and logistics, without being affected by these external factors.