Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

Fifth Meeting of the Working Group on Human

Resource Development (WGHRD-5)
16-17 June 2004
Yangon, Myanmar

Think Regionally, Act Locally

Report
2 July 2004

Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

Fifth Meeting of the Working Group on Human Resource
Development (WGHRD-5)
16-17 June 2004, Yangon, Myanmar

CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INTRODUCTION

a. Objectives
b. Program
c. Participants
2. OPENING ADDRESS

3. ROLE OF THE WGHRD: REVIEW HISTORY AND

TERMS OF REFERENCE

4. PROGRESS TOWARDS HEALTH AND EDUCATION-RELATED

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN THE GMS

a. Cambodia
b. China (PRC)
c. Lao PDR
d. Myanmar
e. Thailand
f. Viet Nam
5. DIRECTION OF THE WGHRD: UPDATE HRD STRATEGY
BASED ON RECENT GMS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS

a. 12th GMS Ministerial Conference

b. ADB GMS Poverty Reduction Strategy (2004-2008)
c. Status of Priority Projects from WGHRD-4
6. GMS PHNOM PENH PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

CONTENTS (continued)
7. IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITY PROJECTS

a. Identification of Regional Strategic Priorities

b. Prioritized List of Projects for Each Sector
c. Formulation of Project Concept Papers
8. CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS

TABLE 1

GMS Strategic Priorities and Priority Projects

TABLE 2

GMS Strategic Priorities for Health, Education and Labor

TABLE 3

Priority Projects for Health, Education and Labor

APPENDIX 1

Agenda

APPENDIX 2

Participant List

APPENDIX 3

Presentation: WGHRD

APPENDIX 4

Presentation: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

APPENDIX 5

Country Reports on Progress of MDGs

APPENDIX 6

Presentation: HRD Cooperation Strategy

APPENDIX 7

Presentation: Phnom Penh Plan

APPENDIX 8

Project Concept Papers

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fifth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Human
Resource Development (WGHRD-5) was held in Yangon, Myanmar from 16-17 June
2004. The meeting was co-hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Department
(FERD), Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Union of Myanmar in cooperation with the
Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The objectives of the meeting were to:
Identify and catalyze regional initiatives to address human and social issues of
common concern to the GMS countries;
Provide a forum to discuss and propose solutions to common concerns related to
human resource development in the GMS;
Provide a GMS inter-ministerial cooperation mechanism to address regional human
resource development issues; and
Enable exchange of information and experience at the regional level on human
resource related issues.
The participants included government representatives from the six countries of the GMS
(Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) as well as observers
from multilateral and bilateral organizations.
The meeting clarified and confirmed the role and direction of the WGHRD by reviewing
its terms of reference, history and recent developments within the larger context of the
GMS Program. A status report on the GMS Phnom Penh Plan for Development
Management, which provides professional development opportunities for GMS officials
to build capacity in development management, was presented.
The first key output from the meeting was a review of progress toward health and
education-related MDGs in the GMS.
Participants delivered country-specific
presentations on progress toward MDGs, including challenges and opportunities for
regional cooperation.
Based on the country-specific presentations, participants identified common regional
issues, interests and concerns. For each sector, they collectively decided the top
regional strategic priorities, presented in Table 1 on the following page.
The main output from the meeting was an identification of priority projects for health,
education and labor, submitted to ADB for possible technical assistance as well as
possible funding by other donors. The participants formulated these projects in
response to the top strategic priorities that they identified for their region. These priority
projects are summarized in Table 1. The participants also drafted concept papers for
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each project, detailing the scope, objectives and other key information necessary to
consider possible technical assistance.

Table 1: GMS Strategic Priorities and Priority Projects

Sector
Health

GMS Strategic Priorities

1. Communicable disease
controlmalaria,
tuberculosis, dengue fever
2. HIV/AIDS and STD
educationtarget youth and
mother-child health
3. Policy development
standard setting,
coordination, health system
research, health care
financing, training and
exchange

Proposed Priority Projects

1. Regional Cooperation for Health System
Development
2. GMS Surveillance and Response System
3. Communicable Diseases Control for Rural
Communities
4. HIV/ AIDS, STD Education for Youth and
Maternal and Child Health (MCH)

4. Surveillanceincluding
SARS, bird flue and other
emerging diseases
Education

1. Education management
planning, finance, data (MIS),
decentralization

1. Preventive Education on HIV/ AIDS using

ICTmembers found this important to
continue in Phase II;

2. Quality development
curriculum reform, teachinglearning, teacher
development, skills
development, local wisdom,
quality assurance,
assessment

2. Quality Assurance in Basic Education in

GMS- GMS countries to share learning
from experiences in basic education;

3. Accessibilitydistance
learning, community
participation, gender equity,
informal
4. Information Communication
Technology (ICT) in
educationsoftware, teacher
training, hardware
Labor

1. Labor movement
2. Labor information
3. Skills development
4. Skills standards

3. Higher Education Networkingto share

advances in teaching and research in
poverty alleviation;
4. Educational Decentralization Policy/
Management;
5. Regional Conferences and Meetings on
Education Development and Reform:
decentralization, MDG attainment,
curriculum

1. Inventory Study on GMS Labor

Development
2. GMS Skills Training and Skills
Standardization
3. GMS Labor Market Information Service
4. GMS Labor Standards

1. INTRODUCTION
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Human Resource
Development (WGHRD) held their fifth meeting in Yangon, Myanmar on 16-17 June
2004. The meeting was co-hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Department
(FERD), Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, in cooperation with ADB. This report
summarizes the outputs and key discussions resulting from the meeting.

a. Objectives
The objectives of the meeting were to:
Identify and catalyze regional initiatives to address human and social issues of
common concern to the GMS countries;
Provide a forum to discuss and propose solutions to common concerns related to
human resource development in the GMS;
Provide a GMS inter-ministerial cooperation mechanism to address regional human
resource development issues; and
Enable exchange of information and experience at the regional level on human
resource related issues.

b. Program
The meeting used a participatory approach to facilitate group learning and decision
making around the following activities:
Review progress of GMS countries in meeting the health and education-related
MDGs;
Update the HRD strategy based on recent GMS program developments,
incorporating cross-cutting concerns such as trafficking, gender, poverty and ethnic
minorities/vulnerable groups;
Clarify and confirm role of the WGHRD;
Update the GMS HRD pipeline by proposing regional projects for health, education
and labor; and
Draft concept papers for each proposed project for consideration by ADB and other
donors.
The agenda for the meeting is attached as Appendix 1.
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c. Participants
The participants included government representatives from the Kingdom of Cambodia,
the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao
PDR), the Union of Myanmar, the Royal Thai Government, and the Socialist Republic of
Viet Nam. Also present were representatives of bilateral organizations with strong
presence in the HRD sector in GMS. The list of participants is attached as Appendix 2.
It was interesting to note that more than 80% of the participants were attending the
WGHRD for the very first time. In addition, many of the participants were not familiar
with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In light of these observations, the
program was adjusted to include more extended briefing on the background and history
of the WGHRD and the HRD cooperation strategy.

2. OPENING ADDRESS
The meeting was co-chaired by U Saw Lwin, Director General, Department of Higher
Education, Union of Myanmar and Mr. Paul Chang, Principal Education Specialist,
Social Sectors Division, Mekong Department, ADB.
U Kyaw Thu, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar welcomed the
participants to the WGHRD-5 meeting and wished everyone a pleasant stay in
Myanmar. He noted Myanmars interest in regional economic cooperation to enhance
sustainable development in the GMS. He cited that Myanmar used its own resources to
implement HRD projects, notably in pursuit of drug eradication. He noted the challenges
posed by increased cross border migration and labor mobility, in terms of disease
transmission, human and drug trafficking, and exploitation of child labor. He stressed
the need for proper coordination among the GMS members to address these
challenges, but also emphasized the need for a proactive approach to utilizing human
and social capital, such as improving labor market management and skills training.
Regional approaches were also needed in pursuit of poverty alleviation and sustainable
development and in competing in a globalized world. He concluded that the WGHRD
would help draw up a common agenda for further strengthening the regional
cooperation program. He thanked ADB for helping convene the WGHRD and wished
the meeting success in its deliberations.
Mr. Paul Chang welcomed everyone to the meeting and highlighted the meetings motto
Think Regionally, Act Locally, which should encourage participants to think in a wider,
more subregional perspective. He stressed that the WGHRD is a GMS and not an
ADB undertaking. He said the meeting would provide a venue for GMS participants to
extract and exchange ideas to redirect and update the GMS HRD program, together as
a regional group. He said the meeting would emphasize common issues of interest as
well as cross cutting issues such as poverty, gender, ethnic minorities and trafficking.

He hoped the meeting would provide a clearer focus on what the HRD sector would
undertake, especially in terms of weaving in the cross cutting issues into the HRD work
program.

3. ROLE OF THE WGHRD:

TERMS OF REFERENCE

REVIEW HISTORY, OBJECTIVES AND

Mr. Paul Chang reviewed the history, objectives and terms of reference for the
WGHRD. He also briefed the participants on the Regional Cooperation Strategy and
Program, which defines ADBs five-year strategy (2004-2008) for operations in the
GMS. A copy of this presentation is provided in Appendix 3.

4.
PROGRESS TOWARD HEALTH AND EDUCATION-RELATED
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Dr. Vincent de Wit, MKSS, ADB, opened the session with a presentation on the MDGs.
A copy of the presentation is provided in Appendix 4. He reviewed the eight MDGs,
their importance and how realistically they might be attained by the year 2015 deadline.
In reviewing the progress from 1990-2003, both globally as well as for East Asia and the
Pacific, he illustrated how some MDGs, such as reduced malnutrition and universal
enrolment, are on track, while others, such as communicable disease control, are likely
to slip.
He noted that the biggest hurdle to achieving the MDGs is not the lack of financial
resources, though more funding will be needed to achieve many of the MDGs. Rather,
the greatest hurdle is the ability to implement the MDGs in terms of political will and
sufficient institutional and human resource capacities. In this regard, he stressed that
everyone would benefit by working together and asked the participants to consider the
usefulness of linking their individual country targets with the MDGs.
Next, representatives from each of the six GMS countries presented summaries of their
respective countrys progress toward meeting health and education-related MDGs.
These presentations are described briefly below. Full copies of the presentations and
any corresponding documents are provided in Appendix 51.

a. Cambodia
Mr. Heang Veasna, Director of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Social
Affairs, Labor, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation, presented on the
importance of vocational training in Cambodias plan for HRD. He cited Cambodias
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Supplementary appendices (5 to 8) available on request to ADB.

human resource needs at various levels, reported on the outcome of vocational training
at general level in various government institutions, and enumerated the goals and duties
of vocational training in Cambodia. Mr. Om Sethy, Director, Information and ASEAN
Affairs Department, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, gave a situation analysis
of the education sector and the key dimensions of education reform. He expounded on
the key issues of the Education Strategic Plan (2004-2008) such as access, quality/
efficiency, governance, and financing. He enumerated the possible GMS initiatives in
the sector.

b. Peoples Republic of China (PRC)

Mr. Chen Huan, Director, International Department, Ministry of Finance, PRC, showed
the PRC poised to achieve most MDGs by 2015 given current growth momentum. He
noted the various challenges faced by PRC which included poverty reduction in remote
minority areas, enhancing access to health care, safe drinking water and education for
the rural poor, and managing large-scale rural and urban migration. He then
enumerated measures taken by government to address these challenges. He explained
PRCs proposals for regional cooperation in HRD, as follows: set up of forum on control
of communicable diseases; enhance training for grassroots medical workers for malaria
control in border areas; and poverty reduction education. He assured PRCs continued
emphasis on poverty reduction and social development. He noted the set-up of
domestic coordination mechanism on human development with PRCs National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which ensured that human
development is approached as a cross cutting issue with multiple ministries involved.

c. Lao PDR
Mr. Sengsomphone Viravouth, Deputy Director General, Department of Planning and
Cooperation, Ministry of Education, presented on the summary of MDG targets and Lao
PDRs national goals for health and education. He presented several slides, which
showed, for each MDG, the baseline data for Lao PDR, the most recent status, and the
2015 targets for the country. He focused on Goal 6 (Combat HIV/ AIDS, Malaria and
Other Diseases) with a number of slides showing baseline data, status and targets for
HIV/ AIDS control and prevention, malaria eradication and tuberculosis control.

d. Myanmar
Dr. Myo Myint, Pro-Rector, Yangon University, presented the vision of the Ministry of
Education and the gains of the education sector relative to the MDGs. He outlined the
key concerns for the education sector, and showed the status of the education sector
plans, assessed on the basis of accessibility, quality and diversity. He noted the efforts
to promote regional and international collaboration in education, and noted the
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remaining challenges to be tackled. Dr. Soe Aung, Deputy Director General,

Department of Health, Ministry of Health, showed the health performance in terms of the
MDGs, noting the strong correlation between maternal education and child health
status. He then pointed to areas for further improvement such as on infant mortality. He
provided the progress in the fight to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality, to prevent/
control HIV/ AIDS, and control tuberculosis. He then updated on womens
empowerment and participation in critical areas such as education and health.

e. Thailand
Mr. Apinan Phatarathiyanon, Senior Expert, Department of Technical and Economic
Cooperation (DTEC), presented Thailands education policy, implemented through
formal and informal education. He gave the principles behind education reform and
showed the six major areas of reform, which included decentralization and teachinglearning process. On public health policy, he highlighted the 30-baht Universal Health
Care Policy, National Agenda on Health Promotion, and Thai Traditional and Herbal
Medicine, among others. He then showed the road map to MDGs and explained
Thailands technical cooperation program.

f. Viet Nam
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director, International Relation Department, Ministry of
Education and Training, gave an overview of the Doi Moi, which involves transition from
centrally planned to market economy within a socialist society, and socio-economic
achievements of Viet Nam. He enumerated the challenges for HRD especially in
education, health care and labor and employment. He then traced the development in
the policy, institutions and programs in HRD. Finally, he explained the countrys
responses in the context of regional cooperation, such as developing international
medical standards, introducing IT, sharing medical technologies, developing labor
market information, etc.

Comments
Representative of Hans Seidel Foundation noted the lack of financing to maintain welldesigned training programs in Cambodia. Mr. Chang reminded the meeting that while
presentations cover national developments, the breakout groups should focus on the
cross-border issues that should be addressed regionally.

5. DIRECTION OF THE WGHRD: UPDATE HRD COOPERATION

STRATEGY BASED ON RECENT GMS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS
7

Mr. Paul Chang reviewed the history, structure and strategy of the GMS Program and
presented an update on recent developments and how they relate to the HRD
cooperation strategy, including integration of cross-cutting concerns such as human and
drug trafficking, poverty, gender and ethnic minorities in to the HRD strategy. A copy of
his presentation is provided in Appendix 6.
The GMS Program is a broad-based program of cooperation to promote regional
prosperity, equity and sustainable development. Recent developments in the GMS
Program that impact the HRD strategy include:
The 12th GMS Ministerial Conference (Dali, PRC, Sept 2003), and
ADBs GMS Regional Cooperation Strategy and Program (RCSP) for 2004-2008.
The HRD directives resulting from these GMS program developments are described
below.

a. 12th GMS Ministerial Conference (Dali, PRC, Sept 2003)

The 12th GMS Ministerial Conference called for increased cooperation in HRD and
specified the following HRD directives:
Cooperation in health monitoring / surveillance;
Preventive education for communicable diseases;
Advancing new technology applications and continuous capacity building;
Transform Mekong Institute into Regional HRD Center; and
Greater donor involvement and effective networking for the Phnom Penh Plan.

b. ADB GMS Regional Cooperation Strategy and Program (RCSP)

In the GMS RCSP for 2004-2008, ADB emphasized that the benefits of enhanced
connectivity in the GMS, resulting in increased cross-border migration and labor
mobility, may negatively impact illegal human and drug trafficking, child exploitation and
transmission of communicable diseases. Those most at risk are women and children.
The RCSP calls for greater responsibility and precautions against these negative
impacts through the following HRD directives:
A common regional framework which addresses:

Promote safe migration of women;

Prevent HIV/AIDS;

Enhance ethnic minority education

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Careful management of social dimensions to fully utilize social/human capital;

Build up national capacities and regional institutions.

c. HRD Projects in the RCSP Project Pipeline

The presentation on the RCSP included a brief update of HRD projects in ADBs project
pipeline. Current projects, as well as those under consideration, were identified as part
of ADBs thrust of providing for substantial technical assistance (TA) to address regional
HRD issues through a common framework.

6. GMS PHNOM PENH PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Mr. Paul Chang presented an update on the Phnom Penh Plan for Development
Management (PPP). A copy of the presentation is provided in Appendix 7.
The PPP was designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of development
management in the GMS by:
Building the managerial and leadership capacity of middle and senior level officials
to manage development programs, projects and plans;
Reinforcing partnerships and strengthening cooperation among GMS countries;
Developing institutional capacities; and
Promoting GMS-anchored research that will assist capacity building and support
policy initiatives.
These objectives are achieved through a diversity of activities ranging from
development management courses and other learning programs to advocacy and
outreach, networking, and development of a core group of GMS champions.
Mr. Chang noted that the PPP has won the interest and buy-in of bilateral donors. He
briefly updated the PPP programs from June 2003 to May 2004 and the priority training
needs based on the training needs analysis (TNA) of October 2003. He updated on the
PPP Learning Resource Center, established in the premises of the ADB Cambodia
Resident Mission. He showed the 2004 PPP Learning Programs and noted the plans
for the PPP Fellowship Program, PPP Alumni Program, PPP Website and Newsletter,
PPP Intellectual Capital Development, PPP Institutional Networking, and PPP Impact
Assessment.

7. IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITY PROJECTS

It was noted that the main output of this meeting is the identification of priority projects
in health, education and labor for consideration by ADB and other donors. The steps to
9

achieve this were presented. The first step in this process is to identify the highest
regional priorities for health, education and labor, taking into consideration all of the
information presented earlier in the meeting. The second step is to propose specific
projects that address these priorities. The third and final step is to prepare a concept
paper for each proposed project, which details the scope, objectives, resources,
agencies, issues and constraints associated with implementing the project.

a. Identification of Regional Strategic Priorities

Participants formed break-out groups around the three HRD sectorshealth, education
and labor. Considering all the information presented earlier in the meeting, they were
asked to respond to the following question, What are the top regional strategic priorities
for your sector? Groups were asked to list, in order of priority, no more than four top
priorities for each sector. Their responses are summarized in the table below:
Table 2: GMS Strategic Priorities for Health, Education and Labor
Sector
Health

GMS Strategic Priorities

1. Communicable disease controlmalaria, tuberculosis,
dengue fever
2. HIV/AIDS and STD educationtarget youth and motherchild health
3. Policy developmentstandard setting, coordination,
health system research, health care financing, training
and exchange
4. Surveillanceincluding SARS, bird flue and other
emerging diseases

Education

1. Education managementplanning, finance, data (MIS),

decentralization
2. Quality developmentcurriculum reform, teachinglearning, teacher development, skills development, local
wisdom, quality assurance, assessment
3. Accessibilitydistance learning, community participation,
gender equity, informal
4. Information Communication Technology (ICT) in
educationsoftware, teacher training, hardware

Labor

1. Labor movement
2. Labor information

10

3. Skills development
4. Skills standards

b. Prioritized List of Projects for Each Sector

As a next step, participants were asked to propose up to four projects within each sector
that address the regional priorities identified in the previous exercise. The projects
could be the continuation or modification of existing projects or entirely new projects.
The following table summarizes the results of this exercise:
Table 3: Priority Projects for Health, Education and Labor
Sector

Proposed Priority Projects

Health

1. Regional Cooperation for Health System Development

Rationale: Commitment from GMS countries; Need for
standardization and improvement of health quality
2. GMS Surveillance and Response System
Rationale: Strong need due to outbreak; Upcoming global
policy; Many assets on hand, i.e., existing surveillance
systems; Health regulations; Existence of strong regional
cooperation
3. Communicable Diseases Control for Rural Communities
4. HIV/ AIDS, STD Education for Youth and Maternal and Child
Health (MCH)

Education

1. Preventive Education on HIV/ AIDS using ICTmembers

found this important to continue in Phase II;
2. Quality Assurance in Basic Education in GMS- GMS countries
to share learnings from experiences in basic education;
3. Higher Education Networkingto share advances in teaching
and research in poverty alleviation;
4. Educational Decentralization Policy/ Management;
5. Regional Conferences and Meetings on Education
Development and Reform: decentralization, MDG attainment,
curriculum

Labor

1. Inventory Study on GMS Labor Development

11

2. GMS Skills Training and Skills Standardization

3. GMS Labor Market Information Service
4. GMS Labor Standards

c. Formulation of Project Concept Papers

As the final and main output to WGHRD-5, participants formulated project concept
papers for each of the proposed projects for consideration by ADB and other donors for
technical assistance (TA). The concept paper addresses the following project
considerations:
Concept Paper Criteria
Background and rationale
Objectives
Scope
Estimated cost
Proposed duration of implementation
Implementing agency(ies)
Estimated benefits and beneficiaries
Social and environmental issues
Issues / Constraints (to include cross-cutting issues)
Given the depth and detail of these criteria, participants used the time available to begin
the concept papers and produce a rough draft. Further work would be needed after the
meeting to more accurately estimate costs and define the scope and other project
considerations. Completed drafts of the concept papers are provided in Appendix 8.

d. Key Points Raised by Participants

On strategic priorities for HRD- Participants felt the need for narrowing the focus in
sector priorities to ensure effective implementation; they felt that a focus on border
areas would help enhance the regional flavour of the program.
On priority projects for health, education and labor- It was noted that there is scope
for integrating cross-cutting issues such as poverty, gender, and trafficking in several
project proposals.

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On the concept papers presented- Participants noted the need for more detailed
design of projects that clarifies coordinating mechanisms, mutual benefits to be gained
by participating countries, and the projects regional aspects. Some participants pointed
out the need to do strategic planning for each sector prior to actual implementation of
projects, to ensure effective results.
On the conduct of the meeting- Participants appreciated the active, participatory
approach of the meeting, which fostered teamwork, networking and information sharing.
There was need for more time allocated for the discussions and better time
management.

7. CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS

The next step is for ADB to internally review the draft concept papers proposed at
WGHRD-5 for further development and identification of possible synergies between
projects (e.g., combining projects). Since not all projects can be funded by ADB due to
limited resources, ADB will also assist in marketing the projects to other donors within
the donor community.
In conclusion, WGHRD-5 facilitated inter-ministerial cooperation by providing a forum
for GMS countries to exchange information and experience, review progress and recent
developments, identify common concerns related to human resource development and
propose initiatives to address these common concerns. Through these initiatives,
WGHRD-5 contributes to the wider goals of increased regional prosperity, reduced
poverty and success in meeting the Millennium Development Goals for GMS countries.

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