Leaders from the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) nations agreed in Vientiane on Monday to endorse the Vientiane Plan of Action for GMS Development for 2008-2012 (Annex), which highlights the importance of making substantial and early progress on telecommunications, agriculture and environment in the subregion.

In the Joint Summit Declaration signed at the third GMS summit held in the capital city of Laos, leaders of the member nations of GMS say the GMS member countries will further develop telecommunications infrastructure linkages, and promote the use of information and communications technology through the GMS Information Superhighway Network.

They will devote more resources to rural communications development in the GMS, according to the declaration.

The six countries will implement the GMS initiative on biofuel and rural renewable energy development, and expand trans-boundary animal disease control programs and access to agricultural information in rural areas.

As to environmental protection, the leaders promise to take measures to reduce environmental risks to local livelihoods and GMS development plans, including those posed by climate changes.

The leaders of the six countries sharing the Mekong River – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – gathered here on Sunday for their third summit meeting scheduled for March 30-31 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.

Since 1992, GMS countries have embarked on a program of economic cooperation which aims to promote development through closer economic links.

The First GMS Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2002, while the Second GMS Summit was held in Kunming, China in July 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2008)