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Road to Sustainable Development
ADB Review [ August 2005 ]

Ministers from the six Greater Mekong Subregion countries underscored the importance of biodiversity and environmental protection with new commitments to cooperate in their conservation efforts

By Graham Dwyer, (gdwyer@adb.org)
External Relations Specialist

Environment ministers from countries sharing the Mekong River affirmed their commitment to intensify cooperation on preserving their individual and shared natural resources.

In a joint statement at the end of their landmark meeting in Shanghai in May, the Mekong environment ministers said that key economic sectors in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) depend critically on the conservation and sustainable management of healthy natural systems.

“We acknowledge the importance of further accelerating the momentum of GMS environmental activities,” they said. “We reaffirm our commitment for a better environment and sustainable development in the GMS.”

In addition to the ministers, the meeting brought together about 80 senior environment officials from the six GMS countries—Cambodia, People’s Republic of China (PRC), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam—to take stock of achievements in environmental cooperation and discuss future directions in environment and natural resource management.

The ministers endorsed the GMS Core Environment Program and recommended its early implementation to improve management of the shared natural resources in the GMS. An environment operations center will be established to coordinate the program.

The ministers also endorsed the GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (BCI) to protect high-value terrestrial biodiversity conservation landscapes. The BCI aims to help establish sustainable management regimes and restore ecological (habitat) connectivity and integrity within important biodiversity areas.

“The Core Environment Program is a systematic and integrated approach to conserve the natural systems of the GMS for the ecosystem services they provide,” said Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President Liqun Jin, who led ADB’s delegation to the meeting.

“It provides the framework to address the immediate and long-term stresses that rapid economic growth would otherwise have on the environment and natural resources of the subregion.”

Appreciating the support of ADB, United Nations Environment Programme, and other development partners, including the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, United States Agency for International Development, and the World Wildlife Fund, the ministers urged donor countries and international agencies, the private sector, and civil society to strengthen their collaboration to support the GMS Core Environment Program.

“We look forward to strengthening our relationships with development partners and seek their support and participation in promoting environmentally sound development in the GMS,” the ministers concluded.

The GMS Program began in 1992 to promote closer regional economic ties and cooperation among the countries sharing the Mekong River.

Covering an area about the size of western Europe, the GMS is home to more than 300 million people. Its wealth of human and natural resources makes it a new frontier for economic growth in Asia.

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