Mekong Institute (MI), with support from the Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF), organized the “Training on Regional Project Identification” on March 18-22, 2024, in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Thirty-three participants from various ministries, institutes and international organizations across the five Mekong countries and Republic of Korea (ROK) participated in the five-day training program.
The objective of the training is to develop participants’ capacity to identify, plan and develop regional development projects that address issues of the seven priority sectors of the MKCF in the Mekong region. To achieve this, the training course focused on developing projects underlining regional cooperation and addressing regional challenges. The final outcome of the training program will be regional project concepts (for each sector) developed by cross country participants for the respective sectors.
“The elevation of Mekong- Republic of Korea (RoK) collaboration to the summit level, combined with the dedication of both Mekong nations and ROK to enhance these ties, presents even greater prospects for cultivating profound regional cooperation. As the MKCF coordinator for a decade, MI observes that there is a need to equip the MKCF prospective proponents with the capacities on how to design regional project to align with the seven priority sectors of the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Plan of Action.” said Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI’s Executive Director, during the opening ceremony.
The training is part of the “Capacity Building on Regional Project Design, Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation of Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (PRIME)” project. Launched in April 2023 and supported by the MKCF, this initiative provides support on enhancing capacities of the MKCF projects’ prospective proponents in the five Mekong countries and RoK.
In pursuit of advancing subregional cooperation, the RoK established the MKCF in 2013 following the Han River Declaration in 2011. As of 2024, the RoK has committed US$ 24 million to bolster regional support and cooperation among the five Mekong member countries. This development fund has facilitated 48 projects, extending technical, financial, and administrative assistance to implementing agencies from Mekong countries as well as the RoK, alongside regional and international organizations.
