Mekong Institute aims to foster partnership in evolving subregion

The Mekong Institute is expanding its role as a platform for dialogue and diplomacy in the rapidly developing Greater Mekong Subregion. To do so, the Institute is pivoting its focus from training and capacity building to trade and innovation. The goal, officials told Devex, is to turn the region’s gaze outward toward global commercial opportunities.

“It’s not the old GMS anymore where the farmers and manufacturers produce for domestic consumption,” Mekong Institute executive director Wacharas Leelawath told Devex in an interview. “Now, it’s becoming more commercialized and modernized.”

Taking advantage of trade and other international business opportunities will require a shared regional vision from the subregion’s governments, he said.