October 19, 2016
The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) kicked off a two-day regional working group meeting in Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure development.
LMI is a multi-national partnership between the United States and Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam that promotes sustained economic growth in the Lower Mekong region. The LMI partnership has helped build Cambodia’s capacity to address water management, support entrepreneurship, and tackle trans-national health issues
“The LMI was launched in 2009 to help countries in the Lower Mekong region tackle a number of complex development challenges via a multilateral approach,” said Ambassador Heidt, in his welcome remarks. “The United States’ commitment to the LMI program since then is a key part of the U.S. rebalance to Asia and our support for a strong and integrated ASEAN.”
LMI supports development in six “pillars”: agriculture/food security, connectivity, education, energy security, environment/water, and health.
![Initiated by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts in 2009, the LMI supports the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam to narrow the development gap and promote regional integration in ASEAN. [Photo: Un Yarat]](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5825/30423103195_0e0d97b9be_z_d.jpg "Initiated by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts in 2009, the LMI supports the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam to narrow the development gap and promote regional integration in ASEAN. [Photo: Un Yarat]")
![At the 9th LMI and FLM Regional Working Group, members focus on the implementation of the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership, a training platform launched by Secretary of State John Kerry at the July 2016 LMI Ministerial and endorsed by the FLM. [Photo: Un Yarat]](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8410/30420625635_1a4212ff96_z_d.jpg "At the 9th LMI and FLM Regional Working Group, members focus on the implementation of the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership, a training platform launched by Secretary of State John Kerry at the July 2016 LMI Ministerial and endorsed by the FLM. [Photo: Un Yarat]")
