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Regions and Countries Regional Cooperation Greater Mekong Subregion Publications Proceedings of Ministerial, Forum, and Working Group Meetings Appendix 4 - Report of the Co-chairperson of the Development Partners' Meeting to the Ministerial Meeting
Report of the Co-chairperson of the Development Partners' Meeting to the Ministerial MeetingExcellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honor and pleasure for me to present the highlights of the GMS Development Partners' Meeting held yesterday. Representatives of the six GMS countries met for the first time in a full day session with the development partners, to present and discuss the GMS program, with the objective of further strengthening existing relationships with development partners, as well as getting other partners involved in the GMS. I am very honored to report to you that the meeting was co-chaired by His Excellency Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The Meeting was attended by bilateral partners, and multilateral organizations, as well as ambassadors of the GMS countries. Highlights of the Meeting The Meeting consisted of four sessions. The first session consisted of opening remarks by the co-chairs, and an overview of the past, present and future of the GMS Program, by the ADB. In the second and third sessions GMS countries presented the GMS Flagship Programs in more detail, allowing the partners to ask questions and engage in discussions. At the Meeting, partners expressed their appreciation for the strong ownership and commitment shown to the GMS Program by the GMS countries. Development partners were very supportive of the GMS Program as detailed in the GMS Strategic Framework and the flagship programs. They have some ongoing projects, which support the GMS Program. They are also considering to provide more assistance to the GMS Program. GMS countries were encouraged to carefully review the overall financial implications of large-scale infrastructure investments. In turn, development partners were encouraged to view subregional cooperation as a long-term process in building trust and understanding among all stakeholders. The development matrix was seen as a tool to coordinate the efforts of development partners and to avoid duplication of efforts. On the subjects of environment, and flood and water resource management, the importance of involving academic institutions in advancing cooperation through capacity building as emphasized. Partners indicated a willingness to get further involved in especially flood management and water resource management. The discussion also focused on environmental mitigation measures, including reforestation possible on a commercial basis. Many partners expressed their interest in the environmental and human resource dimensions of subregional cooperation. The presentation on Human Resources Development was very well received. The ADB complemented that presentation on the Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management. Partners noted that human resource development is a key issue which is also important in the other flagship programs. Several partners expressed their support for HRD and the GMS Phnom Penh Plan proposal and indicated that they looked forward to further discussion on this. Special attention was drawn to the Mekong Project Development Facility (MPDF) and business support center during the session on Enhancing Private Sector Competitiveness and Tourism Development. There was discussion on the GMS Business Forum, and Cambodia proposed to assist by organizing a Mekong++ meeting to encourage business matching as well as public-private partnerships. Partners expressed the importance of the private sector in the other flagships. Three presentations presented the Economic Corridor concept. As discussed in some detail the three economic corridors, including Southern, North-South, and East-West Economic Corridors. Partners indicated their support for the economic corridors, noting that some had provided support in the past and planned to expand their support. It was also emphasized that it was important to study investment opportunities to ensure that optimum use was made of the transport corridors being constructed as part of the economic corridors. The presentation on Telecommunications and Power was well-received. Partners discussed the merits of power exchange in the subregion. The last presentation on Facilitating Cross Border Trade and Investment stimulated a discussion on technical issues. It was also remarked that the private sector should play a strong role in this regard. Conclusions Participants concluded that it had been a worthwhile and productive
meeting. They expressed interest in following up with ADB as the
coordinator on specific projects. Development partners were encouraged
to join the various working groups in order to become more involved
in GMS activities. It was also noted that the involvement of the
development partners should complement "South-South" cooperation,
of which there were some excellent examples in the GMS, such as
financing for the Lao section of the North-South transport corridor
project. Finally, participants agreed that the coming decade is
very important to GMS, as the region appears to be on the eve of
substantial socio-economic progress, which needs to be supported
and harnessed to ensure that the subregion’s full potential
will be realized.
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