Background and Principles
Support from development partners encompasses funding for investment projects through loans and grants, as well as technical assistance and sharing of knowledge and expertise. The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Strategy 2030 (GMS-2030) calls for the program to operate in new areas of innovation and emphasizes important cross-cutting issues such as migration, digital transformation, gender, trade, and investment. Development partners can assist the GMS program in these emerging areas with their knowledge, expertise, and experience. At the same time, the financial requirements for GMS projects remain substantial and are likely to grow as the program expands to include new areas and investments to promote green infrastructure for greater climate resilience.
Recent Progress
Currently, the involvement of development partners in the GMS program is primarily through the annual Development Partners’ Meeting, which is usually held in conjunction with the GMS Ministerial Meeting, where partners are also invited to make brief statements about their support and areas for alignment of cooperation. While this venue provides an opportunity for them to reiterate their support and outline projects in the subregion, the ambitious scope of the new GMS-2030 necessitates going beyond existing processes and identifying actions and mechanisms for deeper collaboration.
Furthermore, to elevate the GMS program as an open cooperation platform, accessing opportunities arising from linkages with other global and regional initiatives, we will promote alignment and synergy between the GMS program, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Framework, the Global Development Initiative, and ASEAN, as well as other regional and global cooperation programs to serve as new drivers for development at both the subregional level and broader levels.
