GMS Youth Forum- This was the culmination of a series of activities that included national and regional youth consultations, and separate caravans that traveled along three GMS economic corridors and ended in Vientiane in time for the Summit. These activities provided an opportunity for young people representing a wide cross-section of the GMS youth population to learn more about the GMS Program and its 3 Cs strategic pillars of increased connectivity, improved competitiveness, and enhanced sense of community. The GMS Youth Message [ PDF ] embodying the concerns and opportunities identified by the youth was presented to the GMS Leaders and ADB President in the latter’s meeting with the youth representatives. The My Mekong coffee table book, featuring photographs taken by GMS teenagers in five different locations in the subregion, was launched at the Youth Forum.

Business and Investment Dialogue (BID) - The BID was attended by representatives of the GMS business community and from a few international corporations that have business operations in the GMS, and involved discussions of key challenges to trade and investment in the GMS and of possible ways by which to address some of these challenges, organized into three session. The highlights of discussions [ PDF ] at the BID were later presented by the Session Chairs at a meeting between GMS Leaders and ADB President, and BID participants.

GMS Exhibit- This comprises three exhibits as follows:

My Mekong Youth Forum Exhibit featured photographs from the coffee table book;
My World My Home Exhibit featured the winning and selected pieces of the Core Environment Program (CEP) sponsored children’s artworks competition; and
GMS Ecotourism Exhibit displayed how ecotourism provides sustainable livelihoods for local people and contributes substantially to poverty alleviation and heritage conservation in the GMS.
A separate GMS History Exhibit showcased the impressive gains made by the GMS Program since its establishment in 1992, and included an interactive GMS connectivity map.