GMS in the News

Photo shows the participants of this year's regional training program together with the training team. Photo credit: ADB.

Honing Project Management Skills to Achieve Development Goals

Thirty-nine government officials and specialists joined this year’s Regional Training in Project Management organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Bangkok from 5 to 9 May. The training program is designed to support the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in project planning and implementation. It fosters a results-based project management approach that aligns projects to sector strategies.

Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam on Track toward Achieving Targets for International Foreign Arrivals in 2023

Cambodia recorded 4.4 million international tourist arrivals in the first 10 months of 2023, a 180% increase over the same period in 2022. Tourism Minister Sok Soken remarked that based on this figure, Cambodia is expected to receive approximately 5.4 million foreign visitors in 2023. 

ASEAN Accelerates Cross-border Payment Implementation

ASEAN member countries agreed to fast track the implementation of cross-border payments in ASEAN at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. This paves the way for ASEAN member countries to utilize local currencies when transacting in the region and promote regional payment connectivity. This move encourages the use of local currencies to support cross-border trade and investment in the ASEAN region.

ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Associations Emphasizes Intra-bloc Logistics Connectivity

The ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Associations (AFFA) met on 2 December 2023 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for their 33rd annual meeting, and discussed facilitation of goods transportation via inter-governmental cooperation in the region. 

ASEAN countries have emphasized the development of logistics services, infrastructure, and trade facilitation measures, and promoting intra-bloc connectivity. 

Power lines from the 1070 MW Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant in Lao PDR. 95% of the power produced by the plant is exported to Thailand, and the rest are consumed locally. Photo by Ariel Javellana/ADB.

Lao PDR Ramps Up Electricity Exports to Viet Nam

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is increasing its electricity exports generated from its hydropower projects to its neighbors in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including Viet Nam. Lao PDR and Viet Nam have signed MoUs targeting to export 8,148 MW from Lao PDR to Viet Nam by 2030. Lao PDR also signed contracts with Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) to implement 25 projects with a combined capacity of 2,180 megawatts.  

Migrant worker operates an electric loom in a textile mill. ©ILO/Areeluck Phankhian via Flickr

Improved Labor Management Initiatives Aim to Attract More Migrant Workers to Thailand

Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathien, head of the Thai Labour Ministry’s employment department, shared that the Thai Cabinet has approved improved labor management measures to address the gap in migrant worker employment. These measures include (i) allowing documented workers to stay until February 2025; and (ii) allowing undocumented workers to register and work until the same date. 

Photo by Dennis Sylvester Hurd via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Cambodia and Lao PDR Report Continuous Drop in COVID-19 Cases in April Amid Festivities

Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic have reported a steady drop in average COVID-19 cases per day in April 2022, according to a report on “Vaccination Rates, Effectiveness, and Safety” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In Cambodia, the average COVID-19 cases per day dropped from 164 to 18.4, and deaths decreased from 1 to 0.06, marking a fall in case fatality rate from 0.43% to 0.35%. In Lao PDR, daily infection rates declined steadily, averaging at 986 for April 2022 from 1102 in March 2022, while average deaths per day plateaued between 1 to 3.

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