{"id":405066,"date":"2026-09-18T16:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inter.nesdc.go.th\/the-14th-gms-economic-corridors-forum-gms-program-accelerates-economic-corridor-development-to-address-global-challenges\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T16:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:38:38","slug":"the-14th-gms-economic-corridors-forum-gms-program-accelerates-economic-corridor-development-to-address-global-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inter.nesdc.go.th\/en\/the-14th-gms-economic-corridors-forum-gms-program-accelerates-economic-corridor-development-to-address-global-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"The 14th GMS Economic Corridors Forum: GMS Program Accelerates Economic Corridor Development to Address Global Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Ministry of Finance of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), organized the 14th<\/sup> GMS Economic Corridors Forum (ECF-14) under the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program<\/strong> on September 14-15, 2026, at the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, Lao PDR. The forum aimed to present key challenges hindering the development of various economic corridors in the GMS subregion and to jointly define concrete and effective development guidelines under the theme \u201cAccelerating, Leveraging, and Integrating Economic Corridor Development to Strengthen the Resilience and Capacity of the GMS Subregion Against Key Global Challenges.\u201d<\/strong> The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Vongkhamheng Vongthachack, Deputy Director General of the Department of External Finance and Cooperation, Ministry of Finance of Lao PDR, and Mr. Winfried Wicklein, Director General of the Southeast Asia Department at ADB, with senior officials from member countries and representatives from relevant agencies in attendance. For the Thai delegation, Ms. Sasithorn Phattanadech, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council<\/strong>, served as the head of the delegation.<\/p>\n\n

The meeting discussed and exchanged views on driving the development of economic corridors into concrete action<\/strong>, prioritizing spatial development, investment project planning, and efficient financing for project development. The meeting acknowledged progress and investment opportunities in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the enhancement of trade and logistics between China and Lao PDR via rail links and cross-border e-commerce, and the transition from transport system development to spatial development of economic corridors under the GMS-2030 Strategic Framework. Furthermore, the meeting proposed driving development through investment promotion, industrial ecosystem development, digital documentation facilitation, and the development of risk management mechanisms to promote cross-border investment.<\/p>\n\n

The meeting also discussed cross-border labor mobility<\/strong> to link labor skills with economic opportunities along the economic corridors, focusing on knowledge transfer to enhance human capital and long-term competitiveness. Examples include the PROMISE project, which promotes skilled labor mobility, and the operations of the Integrated Migrant Assistance Center (iMAC) in Lao PDR. The meeting emphasized that the resilience of economic corridors can only be achieved when labor skills are recognized and aligned with market demands.<\/p>\n\n

Additionally, the meeting highlighted the crucial role of local government organizations<\/strong> in bridging central policies with local implementation and driving investment projects along economic corridors, particularly in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and Border Economic Zones (BEZ). Urban spatial development should be pursued to ensure resilience and sustainability, focusing on supporting public service development to attract investment and establishing joint climate risk assessments for cross-border infrastructure design to effectively prepare for disasters.<\/p>\n\n

Furthermore, the meeting discussed driving the utilization of digital systems<\/strong> toward sustainable growth by upgrading digital infrastructure alongside physical infrastructure. It was proposed that member countries operate through more secure data exchange platforms, such as the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) and the integration of National Single Window systems.<\/p>\n\n

ADB<\/strong> emphasized its support for financing by linking with subregional development networks, strengthening governance, establishing harmonized regulations, and coordinating subregional cooperation to promote inequality reduction and effectively increase the competitiveness of economic corridors in the GMS subregion.<\/p>\n\n

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Story: Strategy and International Cooperation Coordination Division<\/em>Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council<\/em><\/p>\n