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Governments in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) will be assisted in improving their overall capacities to formulate and implement environmental policies, legislation and programs that are of common significance to their countries by a technical assistance grant of $800,000 from the Asian Development Bank.
The GMS is composed of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Yunnan Province of People's Republic of China (PRC), Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. These countries share borders and many common natural resources, including the Mekong River, and together form a natural geographic area.
The GMS is experiencing significant environmental degradation because of rapid economic and industrial development, population increase and urbanization, and resource depletion and mismanagement. The major environmental issues faced by the GMS countries include (i) deforestation; (ii) loss of biodiversity; (iii) soil loss, siltation and erosion; (iv) water pollution; (v) toxic and hazardous waste management; (vi) air pollution; and (vii) degradation of urban environments.
The technical assistance will provide a forum under the overall coordination of the Ministerial Conference for the Governments to share their experience in environmental management and to provide training in areas of critical environmental concern from a regional perspective. In addition, it will formulate mutually agreed upon environmental standards and/or natural resources management programs for the Governments.