This new strategy for transport development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) consists of a strategic framework covering 2018–2030 and a set of performance indicators initially covering 2018–2022. It is mainly a strategic document providing a common framework for GMS cooperation in the transport sector. Cooperation in the transport sector has been at the core of the GMS Economic Cooperation Program since its inception in 1992. The main thrust of the program was eliminating the barriers to cooperation, and the significant lack of connectivity was a critical constraint on economic relations among the GMS countries.
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program will begin its third decade in 2012. Since its inception, the program has achieved noteworthy successes in fostering cooperation in a region that, at the commencement of the program, was emerging from a period of prolonged conflict. The program has built a reputation as a flexible, results-oriented, project-delivering vehicle for promoting regional cooperation and contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction as well as to the provision of regional public goods. Increased recognition of the benefits of regional cooperation is manifested in the evolution of regionalism both in Asia and more broadly. New institutions have emerged while others have become more vigorous. Within this context of evolving regionalism, the GMS Program remains highly relevant. The start of a new decade is an opportune time for the GMS Program to assess its achievements and develop this new strategic framework for 2012–2022. The new strategic framework builds on the substantial progress the program has made and the likely global and regional trends. It also builds on the commitment that member countries have made in their national development plans to the promotion of regional integration, and will guide the efforts of member countries to steer the program during the new decade to the next level in terms of results.
The economic corridor approach was adopted by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries in 1998 to help accelerate subregional development. The development of economic corridors links production, trade, and infrastructure within a specific geographic area. The review of these corridors was conducted to take into account the opening up of Myanmar and ensure that there is a close match between corridor routes and trade flows; GMS capitals and major urban centers are connected to each other; and the corridors are linked with maritime gateways. The review came up with recommendations for possible extension and/or realignment of the corridors, and adoption of a classification system for corridor development. The GMS Ministers endorsed the recommendations of the study at the 21st GMS Ministerial Conference in Thailand in 2016.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) aims to strengthen regional cooperation and integration in critical areas. GMS-2030 builds upon recognized strengths with a project-led approach that will benefit the community, support connectivity, and improve competitiveness. It also emphasizes the challenges of the coronavirus disease and aims to ensure that government strategies are conducive to a robust recovery in the medium term and beyond. Based on decades of success and program experience, GMS-2030 provides continuity, but will be updated, as necessary, to reflect evolving global or regional forces that may impinge on GMS development prospects.
The World Health Organization's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016- 2030 has been developed with the aim to help countries to reduce the human suffering caused by the world's deadliest mosquito-borne disease. Adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 it provides comprehensive technical guidance to countries and development partners for the next 15 years emphasizing the importance of scaling up malaria responses and moving towards elimination. It also highlights the urgent need to increase investments across all interventions - including preventive measures diagnostic testing treatment and disease surveillance- as well as in harnessing innovation and expanding research. By adopting this strategy WHO Member States have endorsed the bold vision of a world free of malaria and set the ambitious new target of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030. They also agreed to strengthen health systems address emerging multi-drug and insecticide resistance and intensify national cross-border and regional efforts to scale up malaria responses to protect everyone at risk.
MGCI was launched on 10th November 2000 in Vientiane (Laos) and aims at rekindling the cultural links between India and the five riparian states of the Mekong River, namely, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. It is from here that India seeks to strengthen connectivity through building the physical and social infrastructure in these countries. This includes roads, rails, air links and information and communication technologies as also education, culture, and imparting skills in development management and other technical areas.
This Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Urban Development Strategic Framework, 2015-2022 sets out a broad framework to encourage and facilitate a coordinated approach to the development of urban areas throughout the GMS. The framework includes three pillars: (i) planning and development of key urban areas, (ii) planning and development of border areas, and (iii) capacity development in urban planning and management. Underlying these are four crosscutting themes---green development and climate change resilience, disaster risk management, inclusive development, and competitiveness. The GMS Urban Development Strategic Framework also provides the context for ongoing and planned projects in the six GMS member countries.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Human Resource Development Strategic Framework and Action Plan (2013–2017) reflects changing circumstances, including the development of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) economic corridors as an important GMS priority. The goal of the human resource development strategy is to foster sustainable subregional human resource development, thereby contributing to increased subregional competitiveness, connectivity, and community. This document outlines the GMS human resource development strategy that will be implemented through the following---developing capacity in the economic corridors; cooperating in technical and vocational education and training; cooperating in higher education and research; addressing regional health issues; facilitating safe cross-border labor migration; mitigating social costs in the economic corridors; and strengthening institutions and mechanisms for GMS human resource development cooperation.
This important report was issued by the Department of Defense in June 2019. The Indo-Pacific is the Department of Defense's priority theater. The United States is a Pacific nation; we are linked to our Indo-Pacific neighbors through unbreakable bonds of shared history, culture, commerce, and values. We have an enduring commitment to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules, norms, and principles of fair competition. The continuity of our shared strategic vision is uninterrupted despite an increasingly complex security environment. Inter-state strategic competition, defined by geopolitical rivalry between free and repressive world order visions, is the primary concern for U.S. national security. In particular, the People's Republic of China, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, seeks to reorder the region to its advantage by leveraging military modernization, influence operations, and predatory economics to coerce other nations. In contrast, the Department of Defense supports choices that promote long-term peace and prosperity for all in the Indo-Pacific. We will not accept policies or actions that threaten or undermine the rules-based international order - an order that benefits all nations. We are committed to defending and enhancing these shared values.China's economic, political, and military rise is one of the defining elements of the 21st century. Today, the Indo-Pacific increasingly is confronted with a more confident and assertive China that is willing to accept friction in the pursuit of a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests. Perhaps no country has benefited more from the free and open regional and international system than China, which has witnessed the rise of hundreds of millions from poverty to growing prosperity and security. Yet while the Chinese people aspire to free markets, justice, and the rule of law, the People's Republic of China (PRC), under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), undermines the international system from within by exploiting its benefits while simultaneously eroding the values and principles of the rules-based order.This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. 1. Introduction * 1.1. America's Historic Ties to the Indo-Pacific * 1.2. Vision and Principles for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific * 2. Indo-Pacific Strategic Landscape: Trends and Challenges * 2.1. The People's Republic of China as a Revisionist Power * 2.2. Russia as a Revitalized Malign Actor * 2.3. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a Rogue State * 2.4. Prevalence of Transnational Challenges * 3. U.S. National Interests and Defense Strategy * 3.1. U.S. National Interests * 3.2. U.S. National Defense Strategy * 4. Sustaining U.S. Influence to Achieve Regional Objectives * 4.1. Line of Effort 1: Preparedness * 4.2. Line of Effort 2: Partnerships * 4.3. Line of Effort 3: Promoting a Networked Region * Conclusion
