The Lancang-Mekong (LM) Region has immense economic potential and rich natural resources. As many as 75 million people live within the Mekong River Basin area and approximately 1.6 billion throughout the region. This region is experiencing some of the fastest economic growth rates in the world. It is also sustainable and equitable development, but poverty, environmental degradation, a lack of human resources, and differential social development and governance structures hinder it.

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) members are P. R. China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The six countries along the Mekong River (the Chinese stretch, the Lancang River) launched the LMC mechanism in 2015 and convened the first Leaders’ Meeting in March 2016. The LMC is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism serving the common needs of the six countries, and it is an important part of P. R. China’s overall cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Since the LMC’s launch, the six countries have joined hands and worked in solidarity to promote the high-level development of the new sub-regional mechanism, successfully setting a golden example of regional cooperation and bringing tangible benefits to the people of the six countries. The LMC became a good regional cooperation model of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a critical component of an increasingly interconnected world and is a fundamental element of a country’s economic future. To be ready to support economic growth in the LM Region, skilled and knowledgeable human resources are essential. The governments in the region need to play a significant role in aligning HRD needs with the country’s economic opportunities by enhancing workforce
development while balancing regional development with social and economic needs. It is crucial to integrate a skill enhancement program to support employees in acquiring new skills or workers in improving their capabilities. Talented human resources are the change drivers for the LMC. During the seventh LMC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 4, 2022, P. R. China launched six plans in the next stage to share with the LM countries benefits of cooperation and add development momentum. One of the six plans is to implement the LM Talent Plan.

To support LM countries with these efforts, the Mekong Institute (MI) is going to implement a project of “Comprehensive Human Resource Development for the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation” to develop the human resource capacity of public institutions and will equip government officials with advanced HRD skills, regional perspectives, and professional and personal networks.