MI’s 25th Anniversary
25 YEARS OF STRENGTHENING DEVELOPMENT SYNERGIES
In 2021, MI commemorated 25 years of dedicated service to the people of the GMS.
A key player in the advancement of GMS development cooperation and integration, MI’s evolution reflects a sharpening of program strategies, expansion of portfolio of services, growing pool of partners, and operational advancement.
This progression was made possible with the support of over 40 government and international development partners, whose trust in MI’s work contributed to the delivery of strong project implementation, sound policy coherence, and dynamic development programming through capacity-building activities, evidence-based studies, and knowledge exchange platforms.
To date, MI’s efforts have established a network of over 51,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries, many of whom are making inroads in addressing food security, stimulating trade and investment facilitation, promoting climate resilience, and building connective power and energy. MI has also widened public-private sector linkages to shore collaborative commitment in managing transboundary issues such as social inclusion and vulnerability, digital economy and innovation, and labor mobility to cement holistic and sustainable development impacts.
In recognition of these milestones, MI released a series of materials to spotlight achievements and lessons learned; honor pioneers, longstanding partners, and outstanding alumni. It also deployed activities to highlight shared interests and broaden strategic public-private alliances in continued pursuit of broad-based collaboration so MI and its growing network of partners can truly deliver enduring and durable development in the subregion and beyond.
See Message of the Executive Director, MI Development Roadmap, MI Brochure
A LOOK BACK TO THE PAST
MI was formed from the vision of the Governments of Thailand and New Zealand and Khon Kaen University to create a regional training center that will support the formation of a resilient GMS. MI’s early capacity building initiatives helped government officials transition economies towards open and market-based systems to usher growth, productivity, and innovation for the improved well-being of people in the region.
As the subregion grew into a viable growth center of Asia, GMS governments established mechanisms for deeper integration, recognizing that regional cooperation was the foundation for harmonious development and common prosperity.
To help mobilize these aspirations, MI—appointed by GMS governments as an intergovernmental organization—accelerated synergies by strengthening skills, building research studies, and facilitating solution-finding dialogues at the regional, national, and local levels. These paved the way for policy reforms, institutional strengthening, infrastructure investments, and human resource development for lasting intra-country connectivity, stronger market competitiveness, and a deeper sense of community.
With MI’s reputation as a responsive and project-delivering vehicle gaining stride across countries, the intergovernmental organization fostered more constructive engagements as the fund manager of the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Special Fund and implementer of numerous projects under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund, and other regional mechanisms.
These helped unite a variety of projects under a regional focus, streamline resources, and equip GMS governments and partners with innovative interventions to help produce more holistic solutions and impactful outcomes well beyond the boundary of singular projects.
It is from this trajectory that MI has magnified the scope and scale of its Strategic Plan 2021-2025. To help the GMS meet the evolving demands and complex trends of a highly competitive technologically advanced globalized market, MI has re-focused its comparative advantages in agricultural development and trade and investment facilitation, while redirecting its technical capital on helping balance economic growth with responsible climate management.
See An Infographic: Strategic Plan 2021-2025
25 YEARS IN SERVICE TO THE GMS
ACTIVITIES
MI will host and engage in online forums, workshops, and webinars across the areas of agricultural development and commercialization; trade and investment facilitation; and sustainable energy and environment to identify, document, and disseminate lessons learned and best practices to help harmonize tailored socioeconomic strategies against a COVID-19 climate.
Understanding that demonstrative change is realized when development plans, strategies, and guidelines are coordinated, MI senior officials will meet with high-level representatives from GMS governments, international development organizations, regional organizations, the private sector, donors, and academic associations to spotlight complementarities among regional development frameworks and national agenda, as reflected in MI’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
Carrying on the tradition that started in 2011 of convening prime movers to discuss solution-finding methods and to expand public-private engagement in addressing shared opportunities and challenges, MI will host a hybrid activity to highlight the merits of city nodes in optimizing economic corridors. This will include discussions on how to strengthen infrastructure linkages, facilitate efficient cross-border trade, and promote the sustainable use of shared natural resources for a more inclusive and competitive GMS economy.
Held bi-annually, this year’s Governing Board Meetings will feature a comprehensive reporting of MI’s 25 years of work to the Governments of Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as other key partners such as the New Zealand Aid Programme, Asian Development Bank, Khon Kaen University, and Hue University.
Faithful to the premise that achieving socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation in the GMS rests on partnerships, MI will bridge government and non-government linkages to effectively pool resources, technical know-how, and management expertise to cohesively address the region’s development priorities in the next five years.
In recognition of a quarter of a century of service, MI will organize a hybrid event to honor MI’s milestones, history, pioneers, and outstanding alumni.
PR MATERIALS
ESSAYS: 25 YEARS OF DEEPENING SYNERGIES
A total of 25 essays will illustrate MI’s genesis, growth, and contributions from the perspective of 25 selected people ranging from GMS government officials, MI Council and Steering Committee Chairs, international development partners, project beneficiaries, MI alumni and staff.
Contribution to the Mekong Institute “Book of Narratives”
By H.E. Ms. Arunrung Phothong Humphreys
Ambassador Attached to the Ministry for Mekong Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand
A cornerstone of Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) lies in its Master Plan 2019-2023, which was adopted at the 8th ACMECS Summit in Bangkok in 2018, with a vision of “Building ACMECS Connect by 2023.”
ACMECS, a homegrown initiative of five member states, is an indispensable subregional cooperation mechanism that enables strategic connectivity across the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and forms a land bridge from China to India. Hence, ACMECS provides tremendous opportunities not only for its five member states, but also for investors and development partners to jointly promote trade and investment, tourism, health services, sustainable development, and Sustainable Development Goals for win-win benefits.
With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, ACMECS member states have been enhancing their concerted efforts through, inter alia, a quadruple partnership between governments, private sector, academe, and communities in addressing COVID-19 challenges with regard to human security, socioeconomic impacts, and green growth recovery to ensure that no one is left behind and the Mekong subregion is built back better, safer, smarter, and greener.
In this context, the Mekong Institute (MI), a longstanding subregional intergovernmental organization, has an important role to play as an ACMECS partner supporting the Mekong subregion’s economic recovery to its full potential through concrete projects on trade and investment facilitation, physical and digital infrastructure, transportation and smart logistics, sustainable development, and the environment.
MI’s strength is founded on its established networks and substantive partnerships with Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) governments, the private sector, academe, and international development partners representing Australia, P.R. China, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States of America, as well as international organizations such as the United Nations.
These have enabled MI to make invaluable contributions towards relevant subregional platforms, particularly ACMECS, on economic integration, connectivity, and sustainability. As a result, MI has gradually built synergy between regional and subregional cooperation frameworks, such as the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, ASEAN, Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation, and ACMECS.
To this end, I would like to express my sincere congratulations to MI on the occasion of its 25th anniversary and subsequent accomplishments. I am certain that MI will continue to play an important role in contributing to prosperity and sustainability of the Mekong subregion in the years to come.
“The Master Plan for a Connected, Prosperous, and Resilient Mekong Community”
By H.E. Ms. Arunrung Phothong Humphreys
Ambassador Attached to the Ministry for Mekong Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand
Since 2003, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) has achieved milestones in its pursuit towards economic growth, social progress, and shared prosperity. Chief among these was the steady traction of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in laying the groundwork to fulfill the “Building ACMECS Connect by 2023.”
Anchored on the principles of seamless connectivity, synchronized trade and investment, and smart and sustainable development, the phased implementation of the Master Plan 2019-2023 has produced promising progress in shared energy and power grids, harmonized customs regulations and procedures, cohesive water and resource management systems, as well as the broader adaption and access to technologies.
When ACMECS was conceived in 2003, it focused on bridging development gaps and ensuring that the founding countries steered the helm of their own development. As their priorities evolved against a competitive globalized order, ACMECS’s regional agenda was realigned to strategically optimize its strategic location, abundant natural resources, and diverse populace to set the progression for the subregion to become a powerhouse marked by robust trade and investment, efficient movement of people, goods, and services, linked transport networks, an equipped population, smart tourism, technological innovation, and environmental sustainability.
Cognizant that these ambitions could not be realized in isolation, ACMECS has been expanding partnerships with other countries within and beyond Asia. It has also forged deeper collaboration with a broader range of stakeholders to pool resources and efforts in creating an enabling and balanced socioeconomic environment that is beneficial and equitable for all.
When the pandemic entered Southeast Asia, ACMECS’s cooperation mechanism and multilateral networks served it well. These platforms aided in mitigating COVID-19’s virulent consequences, demonstrating what could be achieved when countries banded together to enforce health protocols, cross-border restrictions, and information-sharing policies, while jointly crafting cohesive recovery strategies to circumvent the full reversal of hard-earned development gains.
Through the course of ACMECS’s history, the Mekong Institute (MI) has stood steadfast within its ambit. Its tested trainings, solution-finding dialogues, and advocacy have empowered people, fostered genuine dialogues, and forged deeper partnerships that moved many closer to achieving ACMECS’s mission. In addition, MI’s convening regional platforms helped foster deeper synergy among various cooperation frameworks such as the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation, and ACMECS for more impactful development outcomes.
As MI reaches its 25 years of development service on August 28, 2021, we foresee the intergovernmental organization readily expanding the scale of its work to complement ACMECS’s Master Plan. As our key partner, we will continue to engage with the intergovernmental organization to create a community that will drive common progress in the Greater Mekong Subregion for a connected, prosperous, and resilient Mekong.
How the Mekong Institute became a multilateral organization
Nineteen years ago, in 2002, the prospects for the Mekong Institute (MI) were not bright. The Institute had been founded in 1996 as a bilateral project between the governments of Thailand and New Zealand to train mainly Thai officials in the management and use of water from the Mekong River and its tributaries mostly in Thailand. The responsible Thai agency was the Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation, then under the Prime Minister’s Office. The New Zealand side was represented by their Ministry of External Relations through their Embassy in Bangkok. It was decided to locate the Mekong Institute at Khon Kaen University (KKU) to whose development New Zealand had substantially contributed from its inception through the involvement of New Zealand universities, particularly in the founding of the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Medicine.
By 2002, however, the New Zealand government had decided to terminate its support for MI. That came as a shock to the Thai Government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who assigned the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, to find a solution to the problem. This came in July 2003 during the annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Phnom Penh when the Institute was turned into a multilateral organization with all the Mekong riparian countries as members; the People’s Republic of China was to be represented by the province of Yunnan.
The trouble was that there was no legal basis for the new multilateral MI. One fine day, the then Deputy Prime Minister Amnuay Viravan summoned me to Government House. I was then Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had been in that position since 2001. Theeputy Prime Minister Amnuay was waiting for me together with Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, Krasae Chanawongse, one of the original founders of MI back in 1996. The two of them instructed me to rectify the problem as soon as possible.
It took 6 years to pass the act of parliament which provides the legal basis for the present day MI. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared the first draft for presentation to the Cabinet, which passed it on to the Juridical Council to consider for transmission to the National Assembly. I had to defend the draft at the Sixth Committee of the Juridical Council, chaired by one of my former bosses at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Arun Panupong, and then to defend the final draft in the National Assembly before it was passed into law. That was how the Institute came to have its legal basis, which provides the privileges and immunities conferred by the Thai government on a resident international organization.
While waiting for the requisite legalization, MI was managed by a Foundation, of which the government made me Chairman. I was assisted by a Board, led by the brilliant Chairman of the Steering Committee, Dr. Narongchai Akrasanee, who has been running the Institute from the very beginning. The Institute would not be where it is today without his outstanding leadership, guidance, and commitment.
During those years of transition, there were numerous problems, the foremost of which was the issue of continuity and sustainability. We had to somehow persuade New Zealand to continue to support the Institute. Fortunately, the then New Zealand Ambassador, Brook Barrington, was sympathetic. It was agreed that, although New Zealand would finally terminate its support, this would be done gradually. That is why to this day New Zealand is still engaged with the Institute. Five years ago, when the Institute celebrated its 20th Anniversary, former Prime Minister Bolger came to open the refurbished meeting room named after him from the beginning. Then there was the change of the Director from a New Zealander to a Thai. Although the directorship is open to all members of the Institute, the Director has been a Thai ever since.
A member of the Council has always been the President of Khon Kaen University. Thanks to him, I was invited to become a member of the University Council, followed by
Dr. Narongchai, who was later elected Chairman of Khon Kaen University Council. It has always been our policy that KKU and MI should work hand in hand. Another ex officio member of the Council was the Director–General of the Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation, transferred from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001 and renamed the Thai International Cooperation Agency (TICA). TICA is the major annual donor to the Institute, thus ensuring close cooperation between MI and Thai Government agencies. While its finances continue to be a matter of concern, MI is now sustained by all its members in cash and in kind, and it has succeeded in gaining new donors over the years by developing attractive new projects to serve the region.
Having been closely associated with MI for the past 18 years, I am delighted that MI was awarded the ASEAN Prize for 2021. It is well deserved, for as the ASEAN Secretary–General put it so aptly, MI has indeed contributed to regional cooperation, deepened multilateral cooperation, and advanced economic development through capacity development and public education for sustainable and equitable growth in the Greater Mekong Subregion, thus narrowing the development gap in the ASEAN region and beyond.
May MI succeed further in its mission for the next 25 years, at the very least.
Tej Bunnag
Honorary Advisor
Looking Forward to the Next Decade of Collaboration
During my tenure as President of Khon Kaen University, a couple of things came to my mind.
One was the development of regional collaboration in the Greater Mekong Subregion so that we would be able to join hands to move together as forum of economically cooperating nations within the same region. Another was “Dispute Resolution”, where we could institutionalize Conflict Resolution Education to hopefully build harmonious societies both nationally and internationally.
The Mekong Institute (MI) was established with the generous support of the then Prime Minister, the Right Honorable James Bolger, to conduct many training and collaborative programs. The MI report illustrates that both the MI Directors and MI council Chairs and members have done a great job on economic collaboration. Recently there was a request from the Chief Justice of the Thai Juvenile and Family Central Court for Judges and the Ministry of Justice of Thailand to learn about the Youth Justice activities in New Zealand, especially under the “Restorative Justice Program”. This includes features such as “Family Group Conference” (FGC) in which New Zealand (since1989) has made restorative conferences the hub of its entire youth justice system. After I approached the New Zealand Embassy, I received a lot of support from the NZ Charges de Affairs, Mr. James Anderson. We were able to organize a successful webinar for more than 300 judges, Ministry of Justice Officials and academics from the Universities. The knowledge and skills of restorative justice development in New Zealand are needed not only for the Thai Youth Justice Education but to deal with the increasing number of serious disputes that have led to national and international violence. MI should focus on training reconciliation and a Conflict Resolution Education Program to collaborate and facilitate the use of soft skills including online mediation amongst our neighboring nations.
As the founding director of MI, I was recently nominated by the Forum of the Presidents of all the Thai Universities to be appointed by the Thai Parliamentary Chair as a member of the Reconciliation Committee, and to propose to the MI Council Chair, members and Director to consider the training program on this very important theme of knowledge and skills for the officials and organizations of the nations in our MI region and with the possibility of support from our New Zealand friends.
As the founding director, I would like to see further development in the reconciliation program to build a long lasting and “Just Peace” not only in our region, but also the world.
Professor Vanchai Vatanasapt, ONZM
July 20, 2021
Looking Forward to the Next Decade of Collaboration
During my tenure as President of Khon Kaen University, a couple of things came to my mind.
One was the development of regional collaboration in the Greater Mekong Subregion so that we would be able to join hands to move together as forum of economically cooperating nations within the same region. Another was “Dispute Resolution”, where we could institutionalize Conflict Resolution Education to hopefully build harmonious societies both nationally and internationally.
The Mekong Institute (MI) was established with the generous support of the then Prime Minister, the Right Honorable James Bolger, to conduct many training and collaborative programs. The MI report illustrates that both the MI Directors and MI council Chairs and members have done a great job on economic collaboration. Recently there was a request from the Chief Justice of the Thai Juvenile and Family Central Court for Judges and the Ministry of Justice of Thailand to learn about the Youth Justice activities in New Zealand, especially under the “Restorative Justice Program”. This includes features such as “Family Group Conference” (FGC) in which New Zealand (since1989) has made restorative conferences the hub of its entire youth justice system. After I approached the New Zealand Embassy, I received a lot of support from the NZ Charges de Affairs, Mr. James Anderson. We were able to organize a successful webinar for more than 300 judges, Ministry of Justice Officials and academics from the Universities. The knowledge and skills of restorative justice development in New Zealand are needed not only for the Thai Youth Justice Education but to deal with the increasing number of serious disputes that have led to national and international violence. MI should focus on training reconciliation and a Conflict Resolution Education Program to collaborate and facilitate the use of soft skills including online mediation amongst our neighboring nations.
As the founding director of MI, I was recently nominated by the Forum of the Presidents of all the Thai Universities to be appointed by the Thai Parliamentary Chair as a member of the Reconciliation Committee, and to propose to the MI Council Chair, members and Director to consider the training program on this very important theme of knowledge and skills for the officials and organizations of the nations in our MI region and with the possibility of support from our New Zealand friends.
As the founding director, I would like to see further development in the reconciliation program to build a long lasting and “Just Peace” not only in our region, but also the world.
Professor Vanchai Vatanasapt, ONZM
July 20, 2021
My first opportunity to attend Mekong Institute (MI) training was as a PROSAFE “food emergency management” participant in 2019. The course improved my knowledge and taught me that food safety management requires accessing food system practices, not merely in terms of quality of the product, but also in terms of its risk factors, emergency control management, resilience, access, diversity, safety and more. After the training, I was able to apply what I had learned in joint efforts with various stakeholders to support the improvement of food safety management. I could also conduct numerous national food safety training courses, which have since been developed and carried out to equip local people with the necessary supply chain systems and services that positively affect the overall well-being of the whole community.
My second participation was as a national Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy resource person to introduce practical approaches to the Myanmar government, academia, and business representatives on how to collaboratively develop a strategic Science, Technology and Innovation Plan to render public services more efficient and enhance livelihoods. This helped to underline how the STI policies are important to country development. Through MI, I also learned the approaches for country level formulation of innovation plans with pragmatic steps, and how to provide an adequate base for innovation and the required regulatory aspects. On a personal level, I have acquired good facilitation techniques from MI and this has improved my professional skills.
To strengthen the STI in Myanmar, there needs to be higher political-level interest, increased investment in research and development in the production industry and government research centers, and the involvement of various stakeholders from different areas. Support from government in promoting STI and investment in R & D will bring about financial challenges for innovators, public provision of specialized business services, a competitive climate for entrepreneurs and demand-side policies for the country as a whole.
Essay for MI’s Book of Narratives
Dr Yi Yi Myint
CEC member of Food Science and Technology Association, Myanmar (FoSTA)
In Myanmar, most of the unsafe and low-quality local food products are still being produced. This means that public health in Myanmar faces several risk factors including the wide spread of chronic and contagious diseases, improper cultivation, use of chemical fertilizers and improper postharvest operations. Some farmers, growers and food processors have a lack of awareness about food safety including GMP, HACCP, GAP and GHP.
From June 19-23, 2017, as a member of the Food Science and Technology Association, Myanmar, a team from Myanmar attended a training program titled “Agri-food Inspection and Audit” at Mekong Institute (MI). That led to the basic food safety course in postgraduate programs at the University of Yangon being revised and efforts being made to add new food management systems. In 2017, this knowledge was disseminated to students and academic staff from the Universities of Yangon, Dagon, and Mandalay, to the staff of the Small Scale Industries Department in Mandalay, food processors in Yangon, as well as a short training of trainers course in FoSTA.
A team from Myanmar also attended a training program on “Postharvest Safe Food Handling Practices” from September 24-28, 2018. Later that year, the awareness gained from the course was shared in a talk and discussion with growers, food processors in Magway, students and academic staff from the University of Yangon, growers in Htantabin Township, Yangon as well as in a training course for young farmers in Need Village Farm (Hmawbi Township ,Yangon (2019), SME Food processors in FoSTA, Yangon (2020) and as a radio talk on “Postharvest Safe Food Good Handling Practices” broadcast on Pagan FM radio (2019) .
Hongji Ouyang
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Hongji Ouyang and I work for the Yunnan Vocational College of Transportation as Deputy Director, and as Deputy Dean of International Cooperation and Exchanges International School. The 6 months I have spent working with young scholars from different countries and Mekong Institute (MI) colleagues has been a rich learning experience. MI does a good job both with MIYS and less specialized work. I like the working style here and MI is also a very international organization staffed by participants from different countries, cultures and different positions. We have to get used to communicating with each other, resolve any misunderstandings, and learn from each other.
During the six months of the MIYS program, I participated in several courses. These included “Basic Facilitation Skills and Regional Cooperation Concepts”, “Regional Training on Communication Skill Capacity Building for Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Lancang-Mekong Region”, “2nd Modular Training on Green Freight and Logistics Management in Mekong Countries”, “Gender Equality and Women Empowerment”, and “Modular Training on Project Management and Evaluation of Sub-Regional Project”. I also prepared part of the pre-survey reports for the proposal on TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training) for Cambodia, which taught me a lot about the situation and problems we face in the GMS region and gave me more ideas about the future cooperation with other organizations in the region.
The MIYS program also has lots of on-site activities for participants such as the joint Mekong Forum and courtesy visits in Bangkok and Kunming including to the Chinese Embassy, and Thailand International Cooperation Agency in Bangkok, and the Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province. We also participated in a Structured Learning Visit on the “Sufficiency Economy” to Nakhon Ratchasima Province which helped me understand the differences in the performance of overseas organizations, and how we can make cooperation with overseas organizations more efficient and successful for each other.
The online training from Mekong Institute (MI) offers valuable lessons for us in marketing, the concept of sustainable development and how to make a comprehensive plan for boosting tourism in every dimension. It also includes dialogue between each session with other participants and experts. These discussions made us look more deeply into our decision to come up with a project because we don’t want to increase the negative impacts caused by such a project, but at the same time, we would like to regenerate our business so that we have better health, a healthy soil and have plenty to leave to the next generation. This is what the MI training gave me and my community.
I run a farmstay business and am well aware that I lack tools to promote my place and activities. The MI training gave me plenty of tools to use and I opted to use the “Card New” content strategy and guess what? It fits with Thai behavior because Thais really like great photos with fewer words. These tools helped my page reach out to 10,000+ people on the Facebook platform.
As a next step, I think I have to learn more about the “SHA’s standard from TAT” as it is clear that good sanitation and hygiene will be very much part of the new normal. Furthermore, I would like to engage with the community on food security, because I can see that this, and the improved hygiene, offer a solution on how to survive in a pandemic. If MI can recommend a course dealing with this topic in Thailand, I would like to gain more knowledge and more practices on this.
“Professional Growth”
Mr. Sa-gna Sattanun (1997 – April 2010 and May 2011- present)
From working at the Mekong Institute (MI), I can say that the evolution of MI in terms of operational efficiency and managerial visions during the tenure of nine professional management leaders since its establishment in 1996 has been significant. Starting as a development assistance project, MI morphed into an independent organization in 2003 and became an inter-governmental organization in 2009. Up until now, MI still follows its mission with “Trust and Friendship” for economic development and cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) for regional cooperation and integration through working with and through the government and private sectors as well as international and national organizations in the GMS countries. MI’s work is in line with such regional frameworks as the GMS Economic Cooperation Program, the ASEAN Economic Community, Lancang – Mekong Cooperation (LMC), and Ayeyarwady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
On a personal level, MI contributed to my professional growth in the design and implementation of capacity building programs in the area of SME development and competitiveness, entrepreneurship, project management, business database development, trade facilitation, agribusiness, tourism, transport and logistics. Our work is supported by international organizations, such as UNIAP, GMS-BC, NZAID, ADB, EDI, TICA, JICA, SDC, China Government, World Bank, JAIF, Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund. In the implementation of these programs, implementation and facilitation skill is a core ability and one in which I was trained. This enabled me to grow professionally in managing, facilitating, organizing, coaching, moderating, networking and presenting the above-mentioned capacity building areas.
MI, with its diversified professional staff, is the only GMS-based institute in the region which is willing to develop and enhance competencies of the stakeholders in the Mekong countries through the “Co” of operation by ensuring collaborative efforts in providing knowledge, skills, tools and techniques for continued mutual development. Awareness of needs for enhancement in the GMS countries is crucial to the recommendations for further project design.
Mr. Ke Yousheng
Permanent Representative of China to UNESCAP
Development is the top priority, and talents are the primary resources. Human resources are the foundation of economic and social development, the source of science and technology innovation, and the driving force of civilization progress. The six countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion are all developing countries with the similar task of promoting sustainable development and the well-being of the people. Human resources cooperation is one of the key areas to achieve development goals in the subregion.
Since its establishment 25 years ago, the Mekong Institute (MI) has focused on deepening subregional cooperation with the priority in capacity building and research projects in the fields of human resource development, agriculture, trade and investment, energy, environment and etc. MI has made substantial contributions to subregional development by promoting knowledge sharing and capacity building among government officials, experts, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders.
The six countries in the subregion are friendly neighbors with “shared river and shared future”. Following the neighborhood diplomacy guideline featuring in amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, China has been vigorously supporting MI in terms of financial and human resources to promote knowledge sharing and project cooperation with concrete outcomes promoting the common development of the subregion. The 25th Anniversary of MI is a new starting point. China will continue to be an active builder and contributor to subregional development and prosperity, and will deepen cooperation with MI and subregional countries including through the implementation of MI’s Strategic Plan(2021-2025), enhancement of the synergy between MI and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and the advancement of high-quality development of Belt and Road Cooperation for the common goal of promoting subregional sustainable development and post-pandemic recovery, and building a community of shared future for Lancang-Mekong countries.
HE Mr Cui Maohu
Government of Yunnan P.R. China
(Translation）
It is harvesting season and the fruits are ripening, a time that also marks the Mekong Institute (MI)’s 25th Anniversary of development services. On behalf of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province, P.R. China, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to MI.
With “socioeconomic development, poverty alleviation and deeper regional cooperation” as guiding principles, MI, an intergovernmental organization of Lancang-Mekong countries, has built itself into an influential regional platform of human resource development and capacity building after 25 years of hard work. Such an achievement is a good example of the coordinated development of Lancang-Mekong government departments, cooperation mechanisms, and various sectors in the region.
Yunnan province has enjoyed a strong cooperative relationship with MI since its founding. Government departments, enterprises and universities in Yunnan, including the Foreign Affairs Office, the Department of Science and Technology, the Energy Administration, Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. and Southwest Forestry University, have all engaged with MI in various forms. The bilateral cooperation between Yunnan and MI has been growing closer, with the Yunnan side sending trainees to participate in MI’s training programs and financing customized projects. Joint research and seminars on topics such as “Human Resource Development Strategy for Effective Cooperation” and field visits such as “along EWEC” have been carried out in various forms and always with rich content, covering a wide range of fields. Entrusted by Yunnan province, MI has customized some training programs, such as “Communication Skill Capacity Building for Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Lancang-Mekong Region” and “Capacity Building for Regional Economic Integration and Innovation for Free Trade Zone Development in Lancang-Mekong Country”. Since 2018, these programs have offered hundreds of training opportunities and gained a good reputation among all parties involved.
With COVID-19 ravaging the world since the beginning of 2020, Lancang-Mekong countries have been supporting and assisting each other in fighting against the virus. China and the MI cooperated closely on medical supplies and co-organized online events such as “Leveraging Technology in Fighting COVID-19: The China and Collective Subregion Response” to further promote regional cooperation in pandemic control and prevention. Thanks to the support of relevant parties, MI has actively responded to tackle problems and difficulties. New models, channels, and focuses of regional human resource development and capacity building adapting to the COVD-19 and post-COVID era have been closely examined and incorporated in the MI Strategic Plan of 2021-2025.
With COVID-19 continuing its rampage across the world, the situation remains complex and challenging, and normalized containment is taking place. It is essential for the Lancang-Mekong countries to enhance cooperation in public health and prevent further spread of the pandemic together. The region should put to good use the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund for Public Health established within the framework of the LMC Special Fund and further deepen cooperation in pandemic monitoring technologies, prevention, and control of cross-border infectious diseases, and traditional medicine. Through the construction of a regional public health emergency liaison mechanism, we will further deepen the information exchange and experience sharing of epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, Lancang-Mekong countries should continue to increase investment in epidemic-related technology to enhance the effectiveness of anti-pandemic efforts so as to promote the building of a Global Community of Health for All.
To meet the needs for economic and social development in the post-pandemic era, we are confident that MI will continue to leverage its role of a regional human resource development platform. By operating across three themes of “Agriculture Development and Commercialization (ADC)”, “Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF)”, and “Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE)”, it will promote regional capacity building, information exchange and policy coordination in the region. MI will surely inject vitality into the post-pandemic reconstruction and social and economic recovery through building itself into a multi-functional platform with the engagement of the public and private sectors, development partners and civil society. China will continue to uphold good neighborliness, mutual benefit and win-win, people-oriented principles and write a new chapter of regional cooperation together with MI.
VIDEO: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP
Other than MI’s evolution, the following videos will feature testaments from GMS government officials, policy makers, and supporters on MI’s contributions in the GMS, as well as intergovernmental organization’s development strategies from 2021 to 2025.
