Mekong Policy Dialogues

Overview and objectives

Summary:

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam—the five countries of mainland Southeast Asia—are commonly referred to as the Mekong region because portions of each country are located in the Lower…

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam—the five countries of mainland Southeast Asia—are commonly referred to as the Mekong region because portions of each country are located in the Lower Mekong Basin. U.S. economic and investment ties to the Mekong are increasing and the region has become strategically important to the United States and globally significant as an economic hub. The region only recently achieved relative stability after a century of conflict, and roads, railways, and other infrastructure are only in recent decades beginning to connect major urban and industrializing areas. Importantly, in the Mekong some of the world’s most biodiverse rivers and forests—along with robust agricultural zones—feed local populations and contribute to global food security. Rapid economic development threatens to erode the Mekong’s natural resource base, and the unbalanced nature of this development and the intentions of malign actors could cause decades of regional economic security and prosperity to come undone.

The Mekong region is in great need of capacity building for critical thinking and problem solving to navigate the future, and the U.S. has an opportunity to promote a more free, open, and sustainable vision for the region’s future through a renewed and deepened US-Mekong Partnership. The Mekong Policy Dialogues will provide opportunities for US stakeholders and likeminded partners to promote a shared vision of a sustainable and autonomous Mekong and provide space to discuss and promote the work of USG-led Mekong initiatives.

Objective:

The Project consist of a series of six track-1.5 dialogues which will be held over the course of three years to publicly demonstrate U.S. interest in engaging with Mekong riparian countries on a…

The Project consist of a series of six track-1.5 dialogues which will be held over the course of three years to publicly demonstrate U.S. interest in engaging with Mekong riparian countries on a series of key issues and to build capacity and support collaboration on these key issues among rising leaders around the Mekong region. There are four key streams of activities:
1. Project design activities; and,
2. Implementation of the Policy Dialogues; and,
3. Production of final summary reports following the dialogues; and,
4. A series of interim virtual and in-person engagements with young leaders