Aid and development

More than a month has passed since the Cambodia branch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would be ending its assistance to Cambodian government entities through the USAID Greening Prey Lang project and the future of the 431,683-hectare wildlife sanctuary ...

Some of the world’s biggest financial institutions are working on a plan to speed the closure of coal-fired power plants in Asia, the BBC has been told. The initiative was developed by UK insurer Prudential, is being driven by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and includes ...

Japan and other Mekong countries have expressed support for Cambodia’s initiative to establish a joint working group on the Mekong-Japan Economic Recovery Scenarios, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation following their latest meeting on August 6. The ...

The European Commission on July 14 adopted a long-planned proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a de facto levy on imported products that do not conform to the EU’s own rules on carbon emissions.   As Brussels rushes ahead with its climate action, it is concerned ...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the World Bank have launched a $57 million Lao Landscapes and Livelihoods Project that will generate jobs and income in rural areas by promoting investment in environmentally sustainable and socially-responsible forest and landscape management, and in the preservation of Lao ...

Japan is expected to use its meeting on Friday with the five Mekong River states to reiterate its commitment to the region, although analysts said it will also aim to reinforce its foreign policy objective of countering China’s influence. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will hold ...

The EU in Laos is providing support for the export of Lao goods to the European market through training sessions for government officials and associated parties. A training session conducted in Vientiane on Aug 2 was co-chaired by the political officer at the EU in Laos, ...

After United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken announced the US pledge to donate $52 million to Mekong countries for development, NGOs have come forward asking the government to utilise the donation with transparency. NGO Forum executive director Tek Vannara said that the donation will ...

Japan plans to hold a virtual foreign ministerial meeting next week with five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River, including Myanmar where the military seized power in a coup in February, Japanese government sources said Thursday. The meeting arranged for Aug. 6 comes after Japan ...

United Nations aid to displaced people from Mindat, a mountainous town in Chin State which saw fighting between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters, is only reaching areas permitted by Myanmar’s regime. This week UN humanitarian organization the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered ...