The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

Greater Mekong Subregion
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is made up of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (PRC, specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

In 1992, with assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the six countries of the GMS launched a program of subregional economic cooperation (the GMS Program) to enhance their economic relations, building on their shared histories and cultures, covering nine priority sectors: agriculture, energy, environment, human resource development, investment, telecommunications, tourism, transport infrastructure, and transport and trade facilitation.

With the support of ADB and other development partners, the GMS Program is helping the participating countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through increased connectivity, improved competitiveness, and a greater sense of community (the three Cs).

GMS Economic Corridors
Development of Economic Corridors
 
The GMS countries adopted the economic corridor approach to development during the 8th GMS Ministerial Meeting held in Manila in 1998. The 'economic corridor' approach recognizes that development entails infrastructure integrated with other economic opportunities. These include trade and investment, and efforts to address social and other impacts arising from increased connectivity.

The GMS countries have formed an Economic Corridors Forum (ECF) to bolster efforts in transforming GMS transport corridors into economic corridors.

ADB supports the development of the GMS economic corridors through a regional technical assistance on the development study of the GMS Economic Corridors. This technical assistance has conducted various studies and has formulated strategies to develop the GMS economic corridors, in consultation with the member countries.

Economic corridors and the Asian Development Bank. ADB supports this initiative through a regional technical assistance for the development study for GMS Economic Corridors. This technical assistance has conducted various studies and has formulated strategies to develop the GMS economic corridors, in consultation with the member countries.