CAREC Institute and Mekong Institute Deepen Partnership for Cross-Regional Knowledge Cooperation

The CAREC Institute and Mekong Institute (MI) held a bilateral meeting on 18 July during the regional forum “Managing the Water–Food–Energy Nexus for Sustainable Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion.” Attendees included Mr. Turdakun Tashbolotov, Chief of the Strategic Planning Division, and Mr. Merdan Yazyyev, Senior Strategic Planning Specialist, from the CAREC Institute; and Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of the Mekong Institute, and Ms. Jian Wang, Program Manager at MI. Building on their existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two institutions explored new avenues for cross-regional knowledge exchange and discussed concrete steps to enhance collaboration in joint research and capacity-building. The meeting also provided a good opportunity to exchange ideas on institutional peer learning aspects such as examining each other’s best practices on organizational models, regional cooperation strategies, developing thematic priorities, and mobilizing external resources.

During the meeting, the two sides committed to participating in each other’s flagship events, such as the Mekong Forum and the CAREC Think Tank Development Forum (CTTDF). There is also the possibility of co-organizing joint sessions in the future. In addition, both sides explored joint projects that document regional contributions to global agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and climate action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They identified shared priorities in trade, connectivity, digital transformation, environmental protection, and social integration.

As next steps, the CAREC Institute will attend the Mekong Forum 2025 in Phnom Penh and looks forward to welcoming MI to the 9th CTTDF in Urumqi this December. The two institutions will develop a shortlist of impactful collaborative initiatives, reflecting their focus on practical, knowledge-based cooperation that benefits the wider region.