Leaders of the six GMS countries will be meeting in Vientiane, Laos on March 30-31 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.
They will talk about how connectivity improvements could help expand markets, improve access to social services, and protect the environment in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
The 3rd GMS Summit aims to sustain and deepen economic cooperation and integration efforts among the GMS countries in order to better meet development challenges and realize the common vision of an integrated, harmonious and prosperous subregion.
The GMS covers the six countries sharing the Mekong River -- Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
While traditional lifestyles and deep-rooted customs and beliefs have been scarcely altered by time, the area is now undergoing greater change than ever before. With the onset of peace in the 1990s, the peoples of the Mekong are experiencing rapid changes and improvements in their living standards and conditions.
Increasingly, modernization and industrialization are emerging from a process of transition and transformation. The Mekong countries are gradually shifting from subsistence farming to more diversified economies, and to more open, market-based systems.
In parallel with this are the growing commercial relations among the six Mekong countries, notably in terms of cross-border trade, investment, and labor mobility. Moreover, natural resources, particularly hydropower, are beginning to be developed and utilized on a subregional basis.
The rich human and natural resource endowments of the Mekong region have made it a new frontier of Asian economic growth.
Yet, still much of it remains poor. The gross domestic product per capita is about one U.S. dollar a day in most of the region. Despite significant economic growth, poverty is still widespread.
The challenges include the disparities between urban and rural communities; a growing gap between rich and poor; inadequate attention to the special needs of ethnic minorities; gender inequities, lack of access to basic health and education; and inadequate protection of the environment on which traditional livelihoods depend.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (the GMS Program) was started in 1992 by the six Mekong countries. It involves planning and carrying out sub-regional projects in nine areas: transport, energy, telecommunications, tourism, environment, human resource development, agriculture, trade facilitation, and private investment.
With the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other development partners, the GMS Program is helping the six Mekong countries foster economic growth and reduce poverty through increased connectivity, improved competitiveness and a greater sense of community.
Clearly, the full potential of the Mekong countries can be realized only if the problem of poverty is adequately addressed.
Source:Xinhua
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