The development of the North–South Economic Corridor (NSEC), which links
major economic hubs in the northern and central parts of the GMS, was identified
by the GMS ministers at the Eighth GMS Ministerial Meeting as one of the three
priority projects under the economic corridor approach.1 NSEC development was
subsequently included as one of the flagship programs under the Ten-Year GMS
Strategic Framework, which was endorsed by the leaders of the GMS countries
during the first GMS Summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2002.