Aid and development

Following its launch in Banteay Meanchey last month, USAID’s “Pidor, the Smart Villager” project that provides information on public services, is now accessible in Kampong Chhnang province since yesterday. Pidor, the Smart Villager is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Facebook-based chatbot tool by USAID’s One Window ...

The Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) system implemented at national scale under an USAID project now generates approximately 120 million USD annually to finance the management of approximately 6 million hectares of Vietnam’s forests. The figures were released at an Earth Day event held in the Central ...

A new Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-For-Trade project, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) Programme’s initiative for the Lower Mekong, will promote trade and sustainable forest management (SFM) and at ...

Thailand and Japan have agreed to strengthen economic cooperation and reaffirmed their close cooperation in the development in the Mekong sub-region, particularly through the Mekong – Japan cooperation and Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had a telephone ...

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 10 of Myanmar’s military leaders, as well as two giant military conglomerates, in its toughest measures yet against the February 1 coup and the bloody crackdown on protesters demanding the return of the elected government. Announcing the sanctions on ...

With support from the Swedish government, the Solid Waste Management Association, Thailand (SWAT) is launching its Plastic Footprint Reduction Project to reduce ocean plastic pollution The project is under the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme’s SEA circular project and initiated by the Coordinating Body on the ...

The Swedish government and UNESCO yesterday signed an agreement on “Strengthening Media Development and Freedom of Expression” in Cambodia, with Sweden contributing around $2.5 million to UNESCO for the project. According to a joint statement released yesterday, the project is to be implemented in partnership with ...

Vietnam plans to borrow around $2 billion to develop the Mekong Delta, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. The money, to come from the World Bank, Germany and France, would be used for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in the face of climate change, ...

After the European Union became a “strategic partner” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc in December 2020, both blocs pledged to make climate change policy a key area of cooperation. The EU, already the largest provider of development assistance to the ASEAN region, has committed ...

Cambodia is committed to reinforcing the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) diplomatic mechanisms for the benefit of all six member states. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn reaffirmed the stance in a press statement on March 24. “Let me reiterate Cambodia’s commitment to reinforcing the MLC ...