22 Jul 2021 Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

Context

1. India Co-chaired the 11th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation meeting.

About

Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

1. The Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was established on November 10, 2000, at Vientiane, Laos at the First MGC Ministerial Meeting.
2. It comprises six member countries, namely India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
3. The priority areas of cooperation are tourism, culture, education, and transportation.
4. The name of the organization comes from the Ganga and the Mekong, two large rivers in the region.

How do they work?

The working mechanism for MGC consists of the Annual Ministerial Meeting, the Senior Official’s Meeting, and the five Working Groups.

Take away from the meeting
1. To have a multi dimensional engagement to fight against the pandemic and Covid virus which doesn’t respect national boundaries.
2. promote connectivity in the region in the broadest sense of the term including not just physical, but also digital, economic, and people-to-people connectivity.

India benefits from MGC.
1. Connectivity to North East Region of India
2. Act East policy to get a boost
3. China dominance can be tackle effectively using the group in a cooperative way.

rahul123

Yojna IAS Current Affairs Team