GMS Corridor Development
Strategies and action plans have been prepared
for each of the economic corridors to help ensure
that they contribute to enhanced agriculture,
industry, and service sector development and
trade (including the development of SMEs), and
to the overall promotion of economic growth
and poverty reduction. These strategies differ
significantly from earlier strategies in recognizing
the important interlinkages across sectors while
being very focused on relatively fewer high-profile
initiatives. For each corridor, there is a need for
carefully planned investments aimed at strengthening
urban development, upgrading logistics,
improving the network of feeder and rural
roads, and developing other transport modes.
These investments should be reflected in a new
regional master plan. Easier movement of goods
and people through improvements in the software
of transport and trade facilitation (TTF) will
also be essential. In addition, private sector investment
through supply chains and in the special
economic zones or industrial parks that have been
established at the borders or along the corridors
will need to be encouraged. Further development
of the corridors must also take due account of food
and energy security and climate change concerns.
Within the context of this broad set of sector and
cross-sector issues, a comprehensive approach to
the urgent need to improve TTF has been finalized
that covers
transport facilitation—including expanding
and streamlining exchange of traffic rights