The countries of the Lower Mekong are moving from largely agrarian fishing and farming, to agro-industrial sectors where people farm cash crops rather than those that directly supply their families’ needs. While there are many crops and food products across the region, rice and fish ...

Disasters The five countries of the Lower Mekong make up one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are frequently affected by natural disasters, primarily floods, tsunamis, storms and drought. Other potential risks include earthquakes, fires, pandemics, landslides, ...

One of three mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) allows developing countries who have signed onto the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol to pursue projects to reduce GHG emissions and earn certified emission reduction credits, which can then be sold to developed countries ...

Infrastructure development has both positive and negative impacts on many different communities. Such development can take up large amounts of land and require many people to move. They impact various segments of communities differently, especially women. For instance, women are rarely represented in public participation ...

The Mekong River, and its associated basin, are the mainstay of the region’s rice and fish economy, as well as providing water for domestic, municipal and industrial use. Approximately 4350 km in length and originating high in the Tibetan plateau, it passes through six countries: ...

Introduction The Chinese government has accepted three recommendations (made by Ecuador, Peru, and Kenya) to address the human rights and environmental impacts of overseas Chinese investment and infrastructure projects. This signals a shift in the way that China has been approaching the human rights and environmental ...

The Mekong region holds a vital part of Southeast Asia’s industrial potential. As defined by Open Development Mekong, the industry category includes not only manufacturing, but also construction and tourism, which are important sources of employment and income in the region. [This page is under development, ...

The projected energy demand in Lower Mekong countries will double from 157.8 Mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) in 2010 to 319.6 Mtoe in 2035, with the demand concentrated heavily in Vietnam and Thailand. Fossil fuels remain the major energy source in all five Lower ...

The ownership and control of land is of critical importance to understanding the Mekong region and its development. A majority of the population is primarily engaged in agriculture, so land is the basis of both residence and livelihood. The five nations encompass a total land ...

In the Greater Mekong Subregion there are a broad range of stakeholder perpectives and relationships that contribute to how forests are managed. In these nations, forests have diverse values to groups ranging from small landholders, large concessions holders, governments, the private sector and civil society. Illegal logging in ...

What is mitigation? The impacts of climate change are undeniable. Mitigation and adaptation actions must be taken to address these consequences. So, clarifying what mitigation and adaptation actually means is necessary. Flooding on the Mekong River floodplain, Thailand and Laos. Photo by NASA Johnson, Flickr. Uploaded ...

Watersheds are impacted by many factors, through interaction with both natural elements and human activity in the area. The trees and plants in forests not only tap into the water within the soil, but they also affect the quality and composition of the soil itself, ...

The management of water resources is becoming a critical issue in the region as competition for water increases and climate change takes hold. At the same time, the rapid conversion of forests to other uses has diminished the environmental capacity to regulate water at the ...

Adding to and upgrading the Mekong region's infrastructure has been given a high priority by governments, development partners and regional banks. The shortfall in the estimated amount that needs to be spent by 2020 is being addressed by several new initiatives and strategies in the ...

In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). This contained 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), intended to drive action in critically important areas to the year 2030. These goals have been broken down into 169 targets ...

SDG 12 – “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” – has a monitoring framework of 11 targets and 13 indicators. Unmanaged consumption and production can contribute to depletion of natural resources.145 Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) requires a fundamental shift in the way we use services ...

Chiang Khong SEZ is a district of the Chiang Rai SEZ, all of which is located about 785 km north of Bangkok.192 This SEZ was developed here, a logistical business center for trade, to make it easier for goods to flow from China to Laos.193 It was ...

With its vast, complex network of tributaries, the Mekong river system has been identified as a valuable source of hydroelectricity generation from as early as the 1960s. Today, the Lower Mekong Basin is a key site for large-scale hydropower dam development,1 and it is estimated ...

The Lower Mekong region is home to some of the world’s most dynamic cities. Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Yangon all have populations in excess of 5 million and are still growing. Phnom Penh and Vientiane are smaller but their growth has been ...

SDG 17 – “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development” – is made up of 19 targets and 25 indicators. It covers the elements making up means of implementation: finance (17.1-17.5), technology (17.6-17.8), capacity-building (17.9), trade (17.10-17.12), and systemic ...