A project aiming at accelerating the realisation of goals set in theLower Mekong Public Policy Initiative ( LMPPI) was launched at aworkshop in Ho Chi Minh City on November 13.

According to theFulbright Economics Teaching Programme (FETP) of Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Economics , the organiser of the event, the projectwill gather research institutes in the Lower Mekong region and theirpartner universities to carry out research into challenges to theenvironment, agriculture and livelihood.

It will also promotedialogues on public policy in an attempt to boost sustainable economicdevelopment an improve people’s livelihood in Vietnam , Cambodia ,Thailand , Laos and Myanmar .

Addressing the workshop, RenaBitter, US Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City , said the projectis expected to help build policies for promoting sustainable economicdevelopment, in order to better the living conditions for people in theregion.

The project’s activities will focus on strengtheningregional cooperation in analysing the relationship among water, foodsecurity and energy, thus giving proposals and measures in the field.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID), LMPPI is led by the Ash Centre for Democratic Governance andInnovation - Harvard Kennedy School , and FETP .

It seeks to build institutional capacity in action-research and publicpolicy for ecologically sustainable development in the Lower Mekongregion through interdisciplinary collaboration and multi-sectorialknowledge exchange in the five contries.

The initiativeis anchored in an evolving regional network of researchers anddecision-makers working in agricultural production and natural resourcemanagement systems. Major nodes of the network consist of smallteams of researchers at university, government, and non-governmentresearch units, which will conduct outreach to key stakeholders from arange of sectors and disciplines.-VNA