Ministers of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries gatheredin the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh on August 4 to finalise theGMS Strategic Framework for 2012 – 2022 before submitting it to theirleaders for endorsement at a summit in December.

Addressing the 17 th GMS Ministerial Conference, Cambodian Ministerof Commerce, Cham Prasidh said that the framework would continue itsfocus on infrastructure improvement, expanding and strengtheningeconomic corridor development activities in the region, trade andtransport facilitation, human resource development, common resourcesprotection, and promoting cooperation between the private sector anddevelopment partners to address issues and requirements of the GMSprogramme.

In the last two decades of cooperation,the GMS countries have achieved great success, but much work remains tobe done in the new decade to ensure that they are advancing the GMSeconomic cooperation programme towards its full potential, Prasidh said.

Established in 1992 with the support of the AsianDevelopment Bank, the GMS programme has nine priority sectors ofcooperation – agriculture, energy, environment, human resourcedevelopment, investment, telecommunications, tourism, transport andtransport infrastructure, and trade facilitation.

During the past two decades, the GMS programme made importantcontributions to poverty reduction and economic and social developmentin the region.

GMS groups the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Vietnam./.