On 21 November 2022, H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, delivered welcoming remarks at the ACMECS - Development Partners Senior Officials’ Meeting which was hosted by Thailand in a hybrid format in Bangkok. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Ms. Arunrung Phothong Humphreys, Ambassador and Thai SOM Leader for Mekong Cooperation, and H.E. Mr. Kingphokeo Phommahaxay, Lao PDR SOM Leader for Mekong Cooperation.

The said Meeting was the first official meeting between ACMECS and ACMECS Development Partners (DPs). It aimed to provide the latest developments of ACMECS to DPs, discuss the roles of DPs in supporting ACMECS, and adopt the six individual Joint Development Plans (JDPs) between ACMECS and ACMECS DPs in the first batch, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United States, which serve as a guideline for interaction between ACMECS and each DP. In addition, Israel and New Zealand, both of which have been invited to join ACMECS as DPs in the second batch, participated in the Meeting upon the invitation extended by Thailand.

The Meeting was informed of three latest developments of ACMECS: (1) the implementation of the ACMECS Master Plan 2019 - 2023; (2) the establishment of ACMECS Interim Secretariat (AIS) which will be set up in Thailand and begin its operation in the first quarter of 2023 with the Mekong Institute (MI) as the back office; and (3) progress on the establishment of the ACMECS Development Fund which will be raised to drive forward cooperation projects under the ACMECS framework.

The Meeting also adopted the six JDPs. ACMECS Member Countries, the first-batch DPs, including Israel and New Zealand, expressed their commitment to jointly promote Mekong development through ACMECS, particularly in a number of important cooperation areas, for example, the post-COVID-19 recovery, human resource development, and capacity building, sustainable development, water management, energy and food security, and climate resilience.

The Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) is a sub-regional cooperation framework initiated by Thailand in 2003, with a view to enhancing development and connectivity of the Mekong sub-region in all dimensions. It is composed of Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam as members. ACMECS acts as the “core of the core” to align strategic interests of the sub-region’s architecture with Mekong-led development agendas in setting direction for cooperation. While the meetings at senior official and working levels are held on a regular basis, the ACMECS Summit is convened every two years. At present, the Lao PDR is the current Chair of ACMECS, and Thailand has long been tasked as the ACMECS coordinator for DPs.