This report updates a scoping study that was carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2014 on the development of a border economic area between Malaysia and Thailand. Following that report, the two governments decided to initially focus on the border economic area (BEA) in the Malaysian state of Kadah and the Thai province of Songkhla since it handles the largest volume of cross-border movement of goods and people.

The present report updates development since 2014 in that area.The project builds on the IMT-GT connectivity corridors that serve as the channel through which development is to disseminate to areas throughout the sub-region. Impact of economic area along Malaysia-Thailand border is expected to link to Indonesia through connectivity to other corridors and serve as a sub-regional-level model for IMT-GT.

For a video on the project, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpgpN8Y2dYk&feature=youtu.be.

This monograph deals with the emergence and characteristics of special border zones in Thailand and how they are able to deal with the range of situations that exist along the country’s borders. It brings together practical tools and experiences surrounding Thailand’s border area development. Its emphasis is on new directions being adopted to drive economic growth and social development in those regions that could otherwise lag behind the rapid growth of agglomerations near major international gateways.

It provides the basic tools and methodologies required to adequately evaluate and plan the location, coverage, incentives and financing for border development areas. In so doing, it emphasizes practical issues needed to implement special border development zones in ways that ensure that the choice of projects, programs and institutions designated for the border areas are based on international best practices.

It covers special border zones at three levels: first, it describes their characteristics in terms of common features and operational components; second, it covers the overall strategic approach to their design and adaption to specific area requirements; and, third, it provides details on practical steps involved in their implementation and operationalization.

The report provides a review and analysis of the findings from the scoping study on the proposed Malaysian–Thailand Special Border Economic Zone (SBEZ). The coverage of the study is guided by the recommendations of the IMT-GT Special Implementation Task Force on the Establishment of a Special Border Economic Zone (hereafter TF-SBEZ) at its meeting in Penang, Malaysia on 22 November 2013. At that time, the TF-SBEZ determined that that present study should be a stand-alone study, comprehensive in nature and cover in-depth all the SBEZ components for each of the eight border crossing areas in the Thai-Malaysian border, including linkages to Indonesia.

Based on those findings, the TF-SBEZ requested that the present study make recommendations to the Task Force on the possible location(s) of the SBEZ. The study is part of a broader project that intends to support the establishment of an SBEZ that will help to attract investors in productive activities that promote subregional value chains in order to stimulate cross-border trade and investment, serve as a catalyst to commerce along the IMT-GT corridors and help to substantially improve the social and economic welfare of the population along the border provinces.

ADB-funded project supporting pro-poor value chains along East-West Economic Corridor of Greater Mekong Subregion.

This study develops and operationalises a results framework for the overall GMS Core Agriculture and Support Program Phase II (CASP-II) with linkages to a result framework for each project within the program’s ongoing and proposed pipeline. It is intended to serve three purposes: first, to ensure that the priority projects have clear goals and a logical sequence of how the goals will be achieved; second, to serve as a monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the overall and project-specific results to be achieved; and, third, to help communicate expectations about the CASP-II strategy and accomplishments among GMS partner countries, development partners and other stakeholders

The objective of the technical assistance is to (i) develop and deliver a training program for chambers of commerce and industry of nine provinces traversed by the GMS EWEC of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Vietnam; (ii) carry out a critical review of a previous study on the GMS value chains scoping exercise, and conduct consultations with EWEC countries in the selection of agricultural value chain products(s) and in the preparation of action plans mapping those value chains and the establishment of organic producer clusters along the EWEC; (iii) prepare a brochure outlining the ways, steps, inputs, risks and other requirements in value chain participation for use in the future training by local CCIs and their application by production associations and micro/small and medium size enterprises; and (iv) organize workshops/training courses and a trade forum on value chain integration, cluster development, organic production and certification, and linking producers/clusters established under the RETA to processing/packaging plants, supermarket chains, regional supply chains and high-end export markets.

Successful implementation among 4 large farmer groups of value chain mapping and clustering of organic vegetables along East-West Economic Corridor of Greater Mekong Subregion.

This report describes four clusters for organic vegetables along the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC). These clusters have three goals: (a) to foster the conversion of conventional agricultural farming to organic production, and thereby enable the generation of high value-added activities; (b) to promote linkages among micro and small scale producers, and thereby improve their competitive position within the value chain; and (c) to spur the development of agricultural activities affecting the majority of the EWEC population either directly or indirectly, and thereby enable the transformation of the EWEC transport and logistics corridor into a full-fledged economic corridor. The report builds on an earlier study that mapped EWEC value chains for organic vegetables.

A "one-size-fits-all" approach to clustering of organic vegetable activities along the Corridor is neither feasible or practical. Our approach has therefore been to design each cluster in terms of the specific characteristics of their producers, markets and support systems. We have based the characterization of the clusters on three criteria: (1) stage of product development, since clusters differ in terms of their products coverage (e.g., fresh vegetables versus packaged products versus processed products) or types of services (e.g., organic farm-stays and eco-tourism); (2) stage of market development, since the rate at which cluster develop is determined by the use of technologies, certifications, branding, packaging, marketing and logistics; and (3) stages of public-private sector support, since the rate of cluster development often depends on the availability of support systems and these systems vary across areas along the corridor.

Trade-related poverty impact assessment of cross-border trade impact on poverty and social issues along East-West Economic Corridor of Greater Mekong Subregion.

Strategy and Action Plan for East-West Economic Corridor and results-oriented framework for poverty reduction and growth