Latest Updates
Latest Updates
USAID and Australia Strengthen Economic Resilience of Communities and People with Disabilities to Promote Sustainable Infrastructure Development
The Thai government aspires to develop world-class transport infrastructure, including the Thai-financed high-speed rail between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. However, research indicates that developers and authorities often do not consult communities and women-owned small businesses along the high-speed rail path who may face economic challenges from its development, including disruptions to livelihoods. Moreover, People with Disabilities (PWD) represent a particular disenfranchised segment of the population that is impacted by new transport infrastructure if its design doesn’t incorporate their needs, in particular accessibility. To meet these challenges, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is working closely with local authorities to
USAID and Australia Empower Communities in Northern Thailand to Mitigate Environmental and Social Impacts of Infrastructure Development
In Northern Thailand, communities along the Mekong River face negative environmental and livelihood impacts from infrastructure development, such as upstream dams and rapids-blasting for a river navigation channel, which affect natural resources critical to local communities and, hence, their economic resilience. To meet this challenge, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is collaborating with Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group to develop a digital library that shares data and local knowledge to raise awareness about infrastructure development on the Mekong and its effects on communities. The digital library launched in December 2023 and is accessible via the website of the
USAID and Australia Strengthen Environmental and Social Practices of a Major Commercial Bank in Thailand
Private lenders and investors in the Mekong subregion generally need to improve environmental and social (E&S) safeguards risks, knowledge of approaches and methodologies to mitigate E&S risks, and capacity to integrate E&S risk principles into their infrastructure investing and lending processes. To meet this challenge, USAID and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are collaborating with Kasikorn Bank (KBank), one of Thailand’s largest commercial banks, to strengthen its E&S standards and practices in relation to its infrastructure lending process. This month, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is holding a series of capacity-building events for the bank’s
USAID and Australia Strengthen Economic Resilience of Communities and Small Businesses to Mitigate Negative Impacts of Infrastructure Development
The Thai government aspires to develop world-class transport infrastructure, including the Thai-financed high-speed rail between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. Developing high-quality infrastructure requires strong community engagement to mitigate negative impacts on households living in its path. Communities and small businesses along the high-speed rail path face negative impacts on their livelihoods from its development, such as displacement and business disruptions. However, research indicates that developers and authorities often do not consult communities about these impacts. To meet this challenge, USAID and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are collaborating with local authorities and civil society organizations in Thailand
USAID and Australia Empower Mekong Communities to Mitigate Negative Impacts of Infrastructure Overdevelopment
Communities living along the Mekong River face negative impacts on their environments and livelihoods from infrastructure overdevelopment, such as upstream dams and rapids-blasting for a river navigation channel. USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are collaborating with civil society organizations in northern Thailand to strengthen community empowerment through research and awareness-raising initiatives about infrastructure development and its effects on communities and activities supporting economic resilience. Last week, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program and USAID Mekong for the Future formally launched activities in Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai province, including village-level
USAID, Australia, and Thailand Collaborate on Carbon-Neutral Energy Transition
To address climate change, Thailand announced a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. Reaching carbon neutrality in the energy sector requires deploying new infrastructure technologies like advanced energy storage and increasing existing low-carbon infrastructure like solar and wind beyond planned levels. Therefore, Thailand’s upcoming power development plan (PDP) presents a complex and unprecedented challenge for energy planners. The country needs to align energy planning with long-term carbon neutrality and an increase in energy demand while ensuring energy security and affordability. To meet this challenge, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is
USAID and Australia support strengthened environmental and social impact assessment standards and enforcement for Lao PDR infrastructure
Lao PDR has a relatively strong legal framework for environmental protection. Still, due to low Government of Lao PDR (GoL) capacity and resource constraints, there’s a significant gap in enforcement, oversight, and implementation of standards, resulting in infrastructure projects that negatively impact natural resources and communities. Despite objectives to also address social issues, Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) in implementation often lack social-gender perspectives, resulting in the inability of government agencies to identify specific impacts and benefits of infrastructure. To meet this challenge, on November 10, 2022, the GoL approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the USAID and Australia
USAID and Australia support strengthened ESG standards adoption for hydropower dams in Vietnam
The massive development of small hydropower projects in Vietnam risks creating significant negative impacts on local people and the environment since ESG standards haven’t been included in project design, planning, and construction. The National Assembly of Vietnam issued a resolution to strengthen hydropower project management, but there have been few studies on these projects’ impacts on communities and livelihoods. To address this challenge, a research team from the Centre for Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Adaptation to Climate Change (CEWAREC) conducted in-depth interviews with people living along rivers in various regions of Vietnam. This research on hydropower projects provides
USAID and Australia collaborate with Saigon Asset Management on strengthening best practices for ESG investing in infrastructure
Saigon Asset Management (SAM) is a capital advisory and power developer firm in Vietnam and beyond, managing investments in energy, infrastructure, and other sectors and investing in growing companies that contribute to positive and measurable socioeconomic or environmental impacts. The company is in discussion with financial institutions like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to establish a new investment fund that would follow international standards for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. SAM drafted initial ESG investment criteria in 2021, but they want to bring their ESG policies in line with international standards and best practices. In addressing this challenge,
USAID and Australia Convene Workshop with Bank of Thailand on Regional Sustainable Finance
The goal of the Bank of Thailand’s Working Group on Sustainable Finance is to steer and align Thailand towards sustainable finance policies. In August 2022, the bank published a directional paper on “Transitioning Towards Environmental Sustainability Under the New Thai Financial Landscape”, intended to encourage the financial sector to incorporate environmental considerations into operations and transition towards environmentally sustainable production without disrupting the overall economy. At this opportune time, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program, implemented by The Asia Foundation (TAF), convened the first in-person discussion between the regulator and financial institutions aimed at Elevating Thailand as Regional Sustainable
USAID and Australia lead the way on protecting heritage sites near infrastructure in the Mekong subregion
The Southeast Asia region is home to a number of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites. The Mekong subregion alone has 18 sites that stand out for natural or cultural value with substantial global appeal. However, there are several UNESCO heritage sites under threat due to large-scale infrastructure development, especially from energy and transport projects. Addressing this challenge with an online awareness-raising event on August 25, USAID hosted the Clean EDGE Asia Power Sector Learning Series webinar “Managing Risks at the Intersection of Energy Infrastructure Development and Heritage Sites”. Featuring experts from the USAID and
USAID and Australia help strengthen climate-smart infrastructure during Asia Clean Energy Forum
Energy demand is increasing four percent yearly in Southeast Asia, nearly twice the rest of the world, while cities, ports, roads, and rail networks are also growing throughout the region. As economies develop rapidly, governments are struggling to ensure new infrastructure is resilient to climate change and doesn’t hurt communities nor ruin natural resources like air, water, and forests. To meet this challenge, the United States and Australia are working hand-in-hand with Southeast Asian governments to successfully transition to climate-smart, sustainable infrastructure. At this year’s Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2022, the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program will host
