The first Greater Mekong Sub-region Business Council (GMS-BC) Retreat was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 15, 2017. The retreat was jointly organized by the GMS Business Council, Mekong Business Initiative-Australia AID, ADB and Mekong Institute (MI). More than 50 private sector representatives of the GMS Business Council, members of the Mekong Business Initiative Program, and development partners attended the event. 

The Investment Forum featured three sessions: 

(1) Role of GMS-BC in the implementation of the GMS Economic Cooperation Strategic Framework 2012-2022;

(2) Facilities to Promote Private Sector Development in GMS; and 

(3) Human Resource Development and Capacity Building for GMS Regional Cooperation. 

Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Director of the Trade and Investment Facilitation Department of MI participated in the plenary session and stressed the importance of human resource development and capacity building to promote regional cooperation in the GMS. He outlined the existing and future private sector capacity building geared towards regional cooperation in the GMS and highlighted the private sector’s capacity building program that could be implemented with the GMS-BC. 

The forum identified new objectives and core activities for GMS-BC until 2022 and provided short-term, medium-term and long-term private sector recommendations to GMS Governments for implementing the GMS Strategic Framework 2012-2022 and other development frameworks in the region.