Urban Mekong Corridor Initiative - ASEAN Mayors Forum 2024

The Cities Alliance Urban Mekong Corridor Initiative (UMCI) will be featured at the 2024 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Mayors Forum, which takes place in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 18–19 September 2024.

The forum focuses on enhancing connectivity and resilience for the sustainable development of ASEAN cities. This year’s event is hosted by Vientiane Capital Administration in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC). Organisers selected the UMCI for a dedicated panel session.

Event: UMCI Panel Session
Day: 18 September
Time: 15:45–17:30 (ICT)
Venue: Room 1, National Convention Centre

The UMCI is the first platform to focus on connecting the region’s rapidly growing towns and cities for inclusive green development. It embodies a collective effort to address the multifaceted challenges of rapid urbanisation, environmental sustainability, and social equity across the region.

Cities Alliance spearheads the UMCI in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in collaboration with UCLG ASPAC. The initiative is part of the Resilient Systems of Secondary Cities and Migration Dynamics Programme funded by SDC.

The panel session will feature governors, vice-governors, and mayors from 10 towns and cities along the Mekong Corridor, moderated by Dr. Brigitte Hoermann of Cities Alliance. Intergovernmental bodies, civil society, the private sector, and international development partners will join to contribute their experience and commitment to the initiative.

The panel will explore issues including:

1. How inclusive green development can be effectively promoted and implemented in rapidly growing towns and cities along the Mekong River, and how collaborative efforts can address these issues.
    
2. Strategies that have successfully harmonised inclusive economic growth with environmental sustainability and climate change resilience along the Urban Mekong Corridor.
    
3. How gender considerations can be effectively integrated into climate adaptation strategies in urban planning within the Mekong Corridor, and examples of successful initiatives that can be scaled up. 
    
4. Strategies that intergovernmental bodies, civil society, and the private sector can pursue to support the UMCI’s commitments.

The UMCI panel discussion aims to build on the momentum of the first Urban Mekong Corridor Dialogue, reinforcing the commitment to inclusive and sustainable urban development in the Mekong region. The engagement of high-level city leaders and stakeholders underscores the importance of regional collaboration in addressing the complex challenges of urbanisation and environmental sustainability.