The Second Urban Mekong Corridor Dialogue

The event will take place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 5–6 December 2024. It is the second in a series of Dialogues aimed at promoting collaborative efforts to address the interconnected challenges faced by cities in the Lower Mekong Basin.

The Dialogues are spearheaded by Cities Alliance in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) as part of the Urban Mekong Corridor Initiative (UMCI). The UMCI is the first platform to focus on connecting the region’s rapidly growing towns and cities for inclusive green development. 

In September, the UMCI was featured at the 2024 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Mayors Forum, where local and regional governments adopted the initiative into their 2025 Action Plan – enhancing its visibility and potential for future collaboration and support. 

The National League of Local Councils of Cambodia (NLC) is hosting the second Dialogue with the theme “Connecting Rapidly Growing Towns and Cities for Inclusive Green Development.” It is expected to continue strengthening regional collaboration and knowledge sharing on inclusive, green urban development and build cities’ capacity to implement green growth initiatives.

The Phnom Penh event continues the momentum of the inaugural Dialogue, which was hosted by Vientiane, Lao PDR, in February 2024. Several participating cities – including Vientiane, Can Tho (Vietnam), Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham City (Cambodia), and Nong Khai Province (Thailand) – shared innovative approaches they are taking to solid waste management (SWM), and participants requested that the second Dialogue delve deeper into the issue.

Participants, include representatives of local governments from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. National ministries will showcase their respective government policies and approaches toward fostering inclusive and sustainable cities. 

Jambi City, Indonesia, has been invited to share its pioneering approach to promoting green growth, and local civil society organisations will discuss how they are cooperating with local authorities, regional governance bodies, and international development partners.

The agenda includes a technical session on urban nature-based solutions with an example from Battambang City, Cambodia, and a validation session for forthcoming guidelines on SWM and the circular economy for Mekong cities.

Participants will also have the opportunity to see first-hand how Phnom Penh is proactively reforming its SWM system as well as innovative approaches and technologies that are helping the city address waste challenges.