About USAID and Australia
Mekong Safeguards
About USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards
Mission and Objectives
The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is a multi-year program that supports policymakers, government regulators, major financiers, developers, contractors, and communities with technical assistance, knowledge, and tools to foster strengthened environmental and social governance standards in the energy, transport, and water sectors. We help operationalize the vision of sustainable infrastructure development that Mekong subregion countries have put forward in their respective national green-growth strategies and regional platforms. This vision has been publicly championed by major infrastructure financiers like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and several bilateral donors, including Australia, Japan, and the United States.
The Asian Development Bank estimates that Southeast Asian countries need USD 210 billion in infrastructure investments annually through 2030 to maintain their growth momentum, significantly reduce poverty, and adjust to climate change. Similarly, the International Renewable Energy Agency expects installed power generation capacity in the Mekong subregion to grow from 109 GW to 295 GW, including a tripling of coal-fired capacity under a business-as-usual scenario. But environmental and social regulations and mitigation efforts are not keeping pace; the sheer number and cumulative effects of projects are damaging the Mekong ecosystem and affecting fisheries, forestry, farming, air quality, water quality, and flood regulation. Negative impacts on ecosystem services in turn threaten Mekong subregion populations’ food security, health, homes, and livelihoods. While recognizing the economic-growth imperative of this underdeveloped region and the role of infrastructure in contributing to growth, we promote profitable economic growth supported by sustainable infrastructure that causes less harm to the environment, biodiversity, and people.
Mission and Objectives
The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is a multi-year program that supports policymakers, government regulators, major financiers, developers, contractors, and communities with technical assistance, knowledge, and tools to foster strengthened environmental and social governance standards in the energy, transport, and water sectors. We help operationalize the vision of sustainable infrastructure development that Mekong subregion countries have put forward in their respective national green-growth strategies and regional platforms. This vision has been publicly championed by major infrastructure financiers like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and several bilateral donors, including Australia, Japan, and the United States.
The Asian Development Bank estimates that Southeast Asian countries need USD 210 billion in infrastructure investments annually through 2030 to maintain their growth momentum, significantly reduce poverty, and adjust to climate change. Similarly, the International Renewable Energy Agency expects installed power generation capacity in the Mekong subregion to grow from 109 GW to 295 GW, including a tripling of coal-fired capacity under a business-as-usual scenario. But environmental and social regulations and mitigation efforts are not keeping pace; the sheer number and cumulative effects of projects are damaging the Mekong ecosystem and affecting fisheries, forestry, farming, air quality, water quality, and flood regulation. Negative impacts on ecosystem services in turn threaten Mekong subregion populations’ food security, health, homes, and livelihoods. While recognizing the economic-growth imperative of this underdeveloped region and the role of infrastructure in contributing to growth, we promote profitable economic growth supported by sustainable infrastructure that causes less harm to the environment, biodiversity, and people.
