Bangkok, Thailand, 23 July 2026 — More than 300 policymakers, development partners, private sector representatives, researchers, civil society organizations, and regional institutions from across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) gathered at Mekong Forum 2026 to advance a more integrated approach to regional development, placing nexus thinking at the center of cross-border and cross-sector cooperation.

Held under the theme “People, Partnership, Progress: Powering GMS Development through Nexus Solutions,” the Forum fostered a stronger shared understanding that the region’s increasingly interconnected challenges—from climate change and environmental degradation to digital transformation, public health, and economic resilience—require coordinated solutions rather than isolated interventions.

“We are enabling the region to move forward together by breaking down silos and managing trade-offs across sectors. We do this by bringing stakeholders together to identify practical opportunities for stronger coordination, better resource alignment, and more integrated solutions to the challenges we share,” said Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of the Mekong Institute (MI). He added that connecting policies, investments, knowledge, and partnerships is essential to delivering more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development outcomes.

H.E. Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, called on stakeholders to embrace integrated approaches that connect sectors, institutions, and communities while placing people at the center of development. He reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to advancing regional cooperation through dialogue, mutual trust, and practical partnerships.

“As a founding member of the Greater Mekong Subregion Program and an active participant in regional cooperation mechanisms, Thailand believes that stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and development partners is essential to achieving meaningful and lasting impact.”

The Forum translated dialogue into practical directions for regional collaboration through a series of technical sessions, innovation showcases, exhibitions, side events, and high-level discussions. A recurring message throughout the Forum was that many of the region’s most pressing development challenges are inherently transboundary. Participants highlighted the need for stronger regional cooperation to address interconnected environmental, economic, and public health risks, including transboundary haze, water quality, circular economy opportunities, and One Health.

Knowledge management also emerged as a critical enabler of integrated development. Participants emphasized that stronger regional knowledge ecosystems are essential for connecting research, policy, innovation, financing, and implementation, enabling evidence to translate more effectively into regional action.

Recognizing the growing number of cooperation mechanisms operating across the Mekong region, stakeholders also explored ways to strengthen complementarity among existing regional frameworks. Rather than creating new institutions, discussions focused on practical opportunities to better align planning, programming, partnerships, and resources, allowing regional initiatives to reinforce one another and generate greater collective impact.

The Forum further underscored that integrated development depends on enabling conditions beyond policy coordination. Participants explored how governance, human capital, digital technologies, innovation, and sustainable finance can work together to support more adaptive, resilient, and future-ready development pathways across the GMS.

The Forum culminated in a high-level plenary that synthesized key messages and recommendations emerging from the technical sessions, exhibitions, innovation pitches, and side events into a shared regional narrative for future cooperation.

In her keynote address, Dr. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), urged the region to move beyond fragmented approaches.

“This progression could not be more timely. Across Asia and the Pacific, we are reaching the same conclusion: the complexity of today’s challenges demands a new way of working together… When our challenges are interconnected, our responses must be too.”

She outlined steps including strengthening collaboration, modernizing governance, harnessing knowledge and technology, and aligning investments with integrated development outcomes, noting that these shifts are essential to turning nexus thinking into tangible and lasting impact across the GMS.

Mekong Forum 2026 marked the 12th edition of MI’s flagship annual forum. It was held alongside the organization’s 30th Anniversary celebrations and the launch of its 2026–2030 Strategic Framework. The Forum was supported by the New Zealand Embassy and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It continued to serve as a regional platform for dialogue, partnership building, and co-creation, reinforcing the role of nexus thinking in shaping the next chapter of cooperation and sustainable development across the GMS.

The Forum’s technical sessions and side events were co-organized with a broad coalition of regional and international partners, including:

• the People’s Republic of China;
• the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund;
• the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT);
• the GMS Knowledge Network (GMSKN);
• the Mekong–Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF);
• the International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD);
• the Mekong Region Futures Institute (MERFI);
• the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI);
• the Mekong River Commission (MRC);
• the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI);
• the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC);
• Zhejiang University;
• the Chinese Academy of Sciences Innovation Cooperation Center–Bangkok (CAS-ICCB);
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Asia; and
• Thai government agencies, including the National Health Commission Office (NHCO), the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), the Big Data Institute (BDI), the Ministry of Commerce, and the Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN).